Life is better for everyone when more people ride bikes.

During last week’s #BikeChat we dug into the newest Women Bike report, “Bike Shops for Everyone: Strategies for Making Bike Retail More Welcoming to Women.” Liz Cornish, former Women Bike Manager and now Executive Director of Bikemore in Baltimore, researched, analyzed and produced the report, with support from Specialized. We spoke with Liz about some of the more surprising findings and how shops can remain financially viable by being more inclusive.

Last week, Advocacy Advance released a new resource, “Active Transportation Equity: A Scan of Existing Master Plans.” While the report is not a comprehensive list, it cites 38 examples of active transportation master plans that include definitions of equity, equity goals, and — in some cases — performance measures for equity. But why this equity resource? What’s its purpose?

National Bike Month is 20 days in, and we’ve seen such a great response online and in print. There have been numerous articles, TV pieces and radio spots from across the country covering the two-wheeled celebration this May. We’ve also seen great coverage of the Bicycle Friendly State ranking, which served as a great lead-out to the many great events advocates and organizers like yourselves hosted for National Bike To Work Week.

Bike shops as we know them are dying. From 2000 to 2013, the number of bicycle retailers in the United States decreased from 6,195 to 4,055. Why is it the concern of the League’s Women Bike program if they do? The League of American Bicyclists believes that independent bicycle dealers in providing access to bicycles, bicycle maintenance, bicycling information, and creating a community of people riding bikes are a critical component to building a bicycle-friendly America. We want them to succeed, which means providing resources to assist them in embracing an increasingly diverse and growing market.