Bike Month 2013

Join the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, the Northend Greenway, the City of Harrisonburg, and your neighbors for Harrisonburg Bike Month! Bike Month is a national event that celebrates the bicycle; a unique, fun, and green form of transportation. Bike Month is a way to bring awareness to the friendly citizens of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County to the ongoing improvements to roadways and biking/walking path projects in our community. Our aim is to make riding a bicycle a safer and friendlier means of transportation and recreation. Whether to ride your bike to work, to save money, to preserve our environment, for exercise, or just for fun, see the list of activities below and join us to celebrate Bike Month this May!

Get Involved

Bike Month 2013 Volunteer Opportunities – Want to help with Bike Month? Check out these Bike Month 2013 Volunteer Opportunities! Become a Bike Month Sponsor – download our Bike Month Sponsor Brochure and read about how you can help Bike Month be amazing, what the sponsorship levels are, and what your rewards are. Contact Suzi Carter at suzi [at] northendgreenway [dot] org .

Specials & Discounts

Discount on tune ups and repairs at participating bike shops: Marks Bike Shop and Shenandoah Bicycle Company.

Win prizes – sign up for Bike to Work Day’s Commuter Challenge!

Events

New events still being added as they are confirmed, so please check back!

Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) Weekly Rides

• When: There are rides almost every day of the week. Check out the weekly events page for details.
• Where: The calendar page has start locations and lengths of rides
• Our local bicycle coalition offers fun community rides for every sort of ‘cyclist’ in our area. Check out SVBC’s regular bike ride schedule for one that fits you best!

Confident City Cycling

• Friday, April 26 6:00pm – 10:00pm – Saturday, April 27, 9:00am – 3:00pm (must attend both days)
• at Gilkerson Activities Center at Westover Park
• Cost: $24/person (Ages 14 & up; ages 14-17 must be accompanied by an adult also taking the course)
• Instructed by Thanh Dang & Tasha Walsh, League Certified Cycling Instructors. Contact: thanh.ha.dang [at] gmail [dot] com. Read Thanh’s blog post.
• For more information and to register see the Harrisonburg Parks & Recreation Activity Guide at www.HarrisonburgVA.gov/activities

VA High School Mountain Bike Race at Rocktown Trails

• Tuesday, April 30, 5:30pm
• Race 4: Harrisongburg
• Rocktown Trails at Hillandale Park
• Race Coordinator: Ken Bell ke n [at] grippedfilms [dot] com
• More information at Virginia High School Mountain Bike Race Series.

Costume Bike Parade

• Friday, May 3, 6:00pm
• Turner Pavilion, downtown Harrisonburg
• Wear your wildest costume and join the Costume Bike Parade fora 45-minute, kid-friendly, slow-paced pedal powered parade around downtown Harrisonburg! Don’t forget your helmet. Then join everyone for the Bike Film Festival at Court Square!
• Cost: Free
• For more info contact Scott Whooten at scott [at] shenandoahbicycle [dot] com or see the facebook event page.

Bike Film Festival at Court Square

• Friday, May 3 – Two events in 1! Come for one or both!
• 7:00-8:15pm Single Track High film (trailer: http://vimeo.com/45295483) sponsored by Rocktown Bicycles
• 8:30 to 10:30pm join Adventure Seen Cycling Film Festival
• Court Square Theater, downtown Harrisonburg
• Cost: Free
• For more info contact Michael Weaver at michael [at] valleyarts.org.

Bike Month at the Farmers’ Market

• Saturday, May 4, 8:00am – 12:00pm
• at Harrisonburg Farmers’ Market, Turner Pavilion
• Cost: Free
• Learn more about all the fun Bike Month activities happening in the month of May, test ride a bike or two, and sign up for Bike to Work Day and more! More info contact suzi [at] northendgreenway [dot] org.

Ice Cream Ride

• Sunday, May 5, 2:00pm
• Start/End Location: Kline’s Dairy Bar, 58 E. Wolfe Street
• Cost: Free bike ride. Bring your own money for ice cream after the ride.
• An easy, casual bike ride with friends through the neighborhoods of Harrisonburg. This is ride 1 of 2 during Bike Month. See our other listing for May 26 and our facebook event page!
• Don’t forget your helmet! Under 18? Come with a parent or guardian!
• Contact: Carl Droms at dromscg [at] jmu [dot] edu

Bike to School Day

• Wednesday, May 8, 7:15-8am.
• Students are encouraged to bike to/from school that day. Shenandoah Bicycle Company will be out in force doing bike tune-ups.
• Volunteers are needed to accompany neighborhood bike trains to get to school that morning as well as to hand out snacks to students and sign them in as they arrive.
• Cost: Free
• More info contact Becky Johnston, Obesity Prevention Specialist for RMH Community Health at REBECCA.JOHNSTON.7361 [at] rhcc [dot] com. Read Becky’s blog post.

Kids Storytime: Sally Jean the Bicycle Queen

• Presented by Ten Thousand Villages and Northend Greenway
• Thursday, May 9
• 11:00am – 12:00pm
• at Ten Thousand Villages, 181 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
• Cost: Free
• Join us on our magic carpets for story time! Story time begins at 11am with a craft time afterwards hosted by April Sedeen.

DR100

• Saturday, May 11, 8:00am (start time)
• starts and ends at Harrisonburg First Church of the Nazarene, 1871 Boyers Rd, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
• Cost: $29-$44 (advance); $49 (day of)
• DR100 is a road cycling ride in honor of the late Dr. Joe Mirenda. You can choose to participate various distances from a family fun ride to a metric century, all that traverses through incredible breathtaking mountain views and pastoral scenes. All net proceeds go toward expansion of bike and pedestrian lanes on public roads. Sign up at www.dr100.org.

Global Women’s Cycling Day Ride

• Sunday, May 12 at 2:00pm
• Start/End Location: Kline’s Dairy Bar, 58 E. Wolfe Street
• Come ride with us. We will meet at downtown Kline’s. Easy slow, paced ride. Come meet other women cyclists and eat some ice cream! See our facebook event page.
• Contact: Sarah Doucet, doucetsm [at] dukes.jmu.edu.

Ride of Silence

• Wednesday, May 15, 7:00pm – 8:00pm
• at EMU Campus Center
• Cost: Free
• A beautiful and silent slow ride through Harrisonburg streets to remember fallen cyclists and bring increased awareness to cycling and driving safety. Bike lights recommended if you are biking home after the ride, after sunset and/or its overcast that evening.
• Contact: Marshall Hammond at marshall_hammond [at] merck.com.
• Read more about Ride of Silence.

Bike to Work Day May 17^th – Bike Month’s Signature Event! One of the most fun and rewarding days to bike – for all skill levels – is the annual Bike to Work Day celebration on Friday, May 17. Join the Northend Greenway, Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, and hundreds of your neighbors who will be biking to work on this great day. To make your ride even more enjoyable, organizers will host free coffee, breakfast and prizes on Court Square from 7:00am – 10:00am with a fun After Work Party at Clementine from 4:00pm -6:00pm. To learn more about Harrisonburg Bike to Work Day go to www.hburgbike2work.org! Breakfast

• Friday, May 17, 7:00am – 10:00am
• on Court Square, downtown Harrisonburg
• Cost: Free
• Hburgbike2work.org
• Coffee, baked goods, deviled eggs, fruit, and free bike repair by Wyse Cycles and Mole Hill Bikes!

Commuter Challenge

• Friday, May 17, All day
• To and from your workplace!
• Cost: Free to participate
• Sign up now! Hburgbike2work.org
• Prizes for participation and mileage! Learn more and sign up at hburgbike2work.org.

Bike FROM Work Day

• Friday, May 17, 4:30 – 6:30pm
• at Clementine’s patio
• Cost: Cash/credit bar
• Pat yourself on the back and wrap up Bike to Work Day with us at Clementine Cafe’s beautiful outdoor patio (next door to Shenandoah Bicycle Co.).

Bike to Worship Weekend

• Including Bike to Church, Synagogue, Mosque and Meeting
• Friday-Sunday, May 17-19
• Time: various
• At your congregation
• Cost: Free
• Sign up your church or worship group today! It’s easy to participate. Learn more and sign up by contacting co-coordinator Crystal Good at mattcrystal7398 [at] msn [dot] com. Participating congregations will be listed on our website.

Kids Bike Rodeo

• Hosted by Harrisonburg Parks & Recreation and Shenandoah Bicycle Company
• Sunday, May 19, 1-3pm
• At Hillandale Park
• Cost: Free
• Download and print poster. More info.
• Contact: Dan Fudala at Daniel.Fudala [at] HarrisonburgVA.gov.

Ice Cream Ride

• Sunday, May 26, 2:00pm
• Start/End Location: Kline’s Dairy Bar, 58 E. Wolfe Street
• Cost: Free bike ride. Bring your own money for ice cream after the ride.
• An easy, casual bike ride with friends through the neighborhoods of Harrisonburg. This is ride 1 of 2 during Bike Month. See our other listing for May 26 and our facebook event page!
• Don’t forget your helmet! Under 18? Come with a parent or guardian!
• Contact: Carl Droms at dromscg [at] jmu [dot] edu

Tips & Resources

Information about National Bike Month from the League of American Bicyclists. Commuter Tips – see here!