Life is better for everyone when more people ride bikes.

Bicyclists are “freeloaders” on the federal transportation program.

That’s a claim we’ve been hearing for years. We’ve been blamed for everything from collapsing bridges to a bankrupt Highway Trust Fund. The scale of bicycle and pedestrian spending in that federal transportation program has been consistently and deliberately misrepresented by people that want to kick us out of the program all together.

They’ve been trying for years — and we have always been able to rebuff them and preserve a critical source of funding for better biking and walking. Well, they are back and they are armed with new misinformation — and this time we are being treated on a par with squirrels. Seriously, squirrels.

The League’s Board of Directors serves a critical role in guiding the organization to a sustainable and vibrant future. The Board is made up of both board-appointed and member-elected seats — and you elected three candidates to fill the available seats.

Join us in congratulating John Siemiatkoski, board chair, and Matt Moore, who will continue their tenure on the board, both winning re-election, and Jennifer Laurita, who will join the board for the first time, rounding out the three available seats.

“Thank you to everyone who voted for me and supported my election,” Laurita said. “I am extremely honored to be able to serve on the Board and am eagerly looking forward to working with the other Board members, League staff, and members to fulfill the League’s mission of engaging all communities to build a bicycle friendly America.”

R.T. Rybak is proud of his home city. He has reason to be: Minneapolis helped pioneer bikesharing in the United States, it’s got a booming bike community, it’s a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community and much more. Rybak served as Mayor of Minneapolis from 2002 to 2014, helping oversee and push many of the bike efforts in the midwest city. He’s moderating a panel discussion with a handful of mayors from cities across the country at the 2015 National Bike Summit next month. We caught up with him to talk more about his time as mayor, what he sees as the challenges facing future elected officials, and how his competitive streak is not just an engine for trash talk, but a powerful tool for elected officials’ to embrace when doing this work.

Bicycling is a wonderful, fun and healthy activity. But it’s not without some risk and when that driver cuts you off or you hit a pothole and crash, you are going to want an advocate to fight for your rights. That’s why we’re so proud to have a strategic partnership with Bike Law, a national network of attorneys who specialize in personal injury cases involving bicyclists like you. We are now hosting a directory of Bike Law attorneys on our site here.