Happy Bike Month! We hope you have the opportunity to get some good bike rides in during May.
To help you get the most out of your time on and off the bike, we’ve pulled together some resources and activities you might enjoy. If you know of something that might be a good addition to our list, please send it to us at hello@511cc.org.
Family Bike Activities:
If your family needs some time outside, check out our Walk & Roll Bike Month activities for fun things to do. The Family Walk & Roll Challenge is great for younger kids, and the Walk & Roll Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt will entertain people of all ages. You can even share your Bike Month fun for a chance to win prizes.
Summer Bike Challenge:
Free, fun, and open to people of all ages, the Summer Bike Challenge begins when you download your free Challenge card.
Take the 2020 Summer Bike Challenge in Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Martinez, Oakley, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, or Walnut Creek. It’s a great way to explore your town from the seat of a bike, and from a safe distance. Online prizes and an iPad Grand Prize will be part of the fun!
Free Online Bike Classes: This month, you can take free online classes on a variety of subjects from both Bike East Bay and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Subjects include bike theft prevention, bike camping, urban cycling, biking after dark, and basic bike maintenance. All these webinars are free—just make sure to register in advance.
Virtual BikeMobile: The Bay Area BikeMobile isn’t able to visit schools right now, so they’re hosting a number of webinars on bike maintenance and biking and walking safety. They’ve posted their full schedule, but here’s a quick look at the classes they’re offering from May 12 to May 28:
- ABC Quick Check and Equipment – May 12
- Bike Types, Selection, and Fit – May 12, May 13
- Lock Up Your Bike! – May 12, May 13
- Flat Tire Repair Clinic – May 13
- Pedestrian Safety – May 14, May 15
- Children Behaviors/School Traffic Issues – May 27, May 28
- Children Behaviors, Driver Behavior Common Causes, Countermeasures, Involvement – May 27, May 28
Bike Mapper – Easily Find Your Ideal Ride Route:
Depending on the kind of ride you’re planning—exercise, grocery shopping, fresh air and sunshine—your needs might vary. Where you might want the shortest route for one trip, you might want the fewest hills or least interaction with cars for another. We created Bike Mapper to help you plan your rides with these criteria in mind.
Visit the Bike Mapper page, enter your desired start and end points, and note your preferences, and we’ll do the rest. The result will be a route map which is a good balance of what you’re looking for. Want to see it in action? Give it a try.
E-bikes Allowed on Select Contra Costa Trails: If your bike is an e-bike, that doesn’t mean you’re limited to riding on the road. Class I and II e-bikes are approved for use on many East Bay Regional Park trails: Alameda Creek Trail (paved only), Big Break Trail, Contra Costa Canal Trail, Delta De Anza Trail, George Miller Trail, Iron Horse Trail, Lafayette-Moraga Trail, and Marsh Creek Trail.
Class I and II e-bikes are ones which stop providing motor-assistance when the bicycle reaches 20 mph. Since Class III e-bikes will provide assistance up to 28 mph, they are not allowed on Park trails.
As always, when riding your bicycle on Contra Costa trails, remember to ring or call out when approaching and passing.
National Bike Challenge:
This is a fun, friendly biking challenge for social groups, individuals and businesses that runs from May through September. Participants set goals and support each other in trying to reach them.
You can set one or more one personal goals:
Groups can also set goals, which helps to build camaraderie and makes things more exciting.
Register to participate or learn more at the National Bike Challenge website.
