We know first hand the resourcefulness and passion that the cycling community possesses. That’s one reason why we weren’t going to let the pandemic stop us from engaging our community and new and fun ways at a safe distance of course!
In previous years we referred to events we held in May as Spring Festival. This year we’re shifting the more ubiquitous term “Bike Month.” For those unfamiliar, Bike Month is a national holiday that was established in 1956 and takes place every May. It’s an opportunity to celebrate bike culture and all the amazing ways bikes influence our lives.
In an effort to honor Bike Month we’ve come up with some events and content to keep you engaged and excited about riding your bike while also respecting CDC guidelines and Wake county social distancing orders. Check out some of the cool stuff below!
Webinars!
Starting the second week of May we’ll be holding a webinar every Thursday where folks from Oaks & Spokes, City of Raleigh’s Bike/Ped division, and leaders from other NC Bike Advocacy organizations will speak about amazing topics that will give you some new ideas and perspective into the broad world of biking. Check out the webinars below.
Registration is required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
| How to Become a Bike Commuter Thursday, May 7th at 7pm O&S Advocacy Chair Chris Martens will share tips and tricks about how to prepare yourself and your two-wheeled steed for effective bike commuting. Register in advance. Facebook event. Recording. | Bike Lane Updates from City Staff Thursday, May 14th at 7pm City of Raleigh Bike/Ped Manager Paul Black will talk about the growth rate of dedicated bike lanes and Bike/Ped Department’s plans for making our fair city more bike friendly. Register in advance. Facebook event. Recording. |
| Introduction to Bike Advocacy in Raleigh Thursday, May 21st at 7pm O&S members Alex Brissette, Dan Boehl, and Annie Blazejack discuss how Oaks & Spokes has advocated for bikes over the past several years, and how you can join our upcoming efforts. Register in advance. Facebook event. Recording. | NC Bike Advocates Present Protected Bike Infrastructure Thursday, May 28th at 7pm Executive Directors John Talmadge from Bike Durham, Mike Sule from Asheville on Bikes and Sustain Charlotte Bike + Walk Coordinator Eric Zaverl share their successes and challenges with protected bike infrastructure from our neighboring cities. Register in advance. Facebook event. Recording. |
Ongoing events and activities!
What would Bike Month be if you weren’t doing something fun on your bike? We put our heads together and came up with some things that will keep you rolling all month long!
Rider Inspiration blogposts
We’re collecting rider inspiring stories from local cyclists that we will be publishing right here on our website and social media multiple times a week all month long. Check back regularly for new stories. If you’d like to submit one of your own stories, fill out our form and email a picture of yourself to info@oaksandspokes.com.
Things to get you moving all month long!
| Bike GPS Art Competition | Bike Month Bracket |
| Do you want to go on a bike ride, make some awesome art, and maybe even win some prizes while you do it? If so, join us in our Strava Art competition during virtual bike month. During the month of May, go out and create a piece of GPS art and send it in for a chance to win! Head on over to our blog post or click on the Facebook event link below to learn more. Facebook Event. | The bracket will begin Sunday, May 3rd and the first round of miles are due by email Sunday, May, 10th at 5pm by email. Where: The beautiful streets of the Oak City, but please do so by yourself or with members of your immediate household and wear a mask while out. How does it work: This is a solo bike riding bracket, sign up and compete against other solo riders to watch your miles rack up and win some sweet prizes from one of our local bike shops. To advance in the bracket each week, submit your miles via email to Sara at sara@oaksandspokes.com each Sunday in May by 5pm. If you don’t submit miles, or email after 5pm you will get 0 miles for that week. Where do I sign up? https://challonge.com/raleighbikebracket Challonge is a free, online bracket tool that we’ll use to track everyone’s progress each week. You can login here to watch people advance in the bracket, and even make predictions on who might win. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Sara at sara@oaksandspokes.com. This is our first virtual bike bracket, and perhaps your’s too so we’ll do our best to keep it running smoothly. Facebook Event. |
| Bike Bingo! | Self-Guided Mural Tour |
| If you accomplish every challenge in a row, a column, or a diagonal line across the board, you can get entered into a raffle. Once you’ve marked off five acorns in a line, show us your successes by emailing pictures to info@oaksandspokes.com. Consider sharing them on your social media, too, and tag something fun, like: #OaksandSpokes, #BikeRaleigh, #BikeMonth, #RaleighBikeBingo and #cycledistancing so that other folks on bikes can admire your achievements. At the end of the month, three lucky winners will get O&S T-shirts and water bottles. Print this Bike Bingo Card to get started. Facebook event. | This year we’re taking a solo spin on a popular event that will take you all around Raleigh and surrounding towns. We have three levels you can participate in to ensure there’s something for everyone. Don’t forget to tag Oaks & Spokes so we can give you maximum virtual high fives! Click here to see more details. Facebook event. |