Updated June 11th, 2020
Learn tips & tricks, safely Get Out & Ride, win prizes during new Virtual Bike Month
Heads up! This article was last updated 4 years ago.
Five Rivers MetroParks will take National Bike Month digital this May when it hosts Virtual Bike Month, presented by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission. Virtual Bike Month will include video bike clinics and tours, weekly rides, Bingo challenges, and more.
These resources will be posted on metroparks.org/bike-month and shared in the 2020 Virtual Bike Month Facebook group. MetroParks is working with other organizations, such as Bike Miami Valley.
“We might not be able to host in-person National Bike Month programs, drink coffee and catch pancakes together during MetroParks’ annual Bike to Work Day event this year, but we can all still celebrate National Bike Month,” said Angela York, MetroParks’ special events coordinator. “We want to provide people with the educational resources and confidence they need to experience the outdoors on a bicycle.”
Each week will include these offerings, released on the following days:
- Friday: Ride of the Week and Bicycle Bingo Challenge
- Saturday: Post or video of bike tips, info or links to resources
- Sunday: Encourage community members to post rides, activities or tips
- Monday: Announce previous week’s Bingo winners
- Tuesday: Encourage community members to post rides, activities or tips
- Wednesday: Facebook Live event, interview, tour or tutorial
- Thursday: Bike-In Movie (bike-related movie or documentary)
Each week of Virtual Bike Month also is themed, with related content:
- Friday, May 1, through Thursday, May 7: DUST OFF YOUR BIKE
- Friday, May 8, through Thursday, May 14: PLAN AND PREPARE
- Friday, May 15, through Thursday, May 21: GEAR
- Friday, May 22, through Thursday, May 28: CELEBRATING BICYCLE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES
Weekly rides are located throughout the region; accessible; on paved, off-road trails; and adjacent to parking lots. Routes will increase in length during the month.
The weekly Bicycle Bingo Challenge will encourage people to explore the outdoors, complete rides, use new skills and more. Participants will have 10 days to create a Bingo and will use a weekly hashtag to enter for a chance win prizes in a drawing.
On Friday, May 15 — what would have previously been National Bike to Work Day — MetroParks will encourage people to take solo rides to their place employment, school or to a daily activity to experience what their commute would be like on bicycle.
Participate in Five Rivers MetroParks’ Virtual Bike Month by joining the MetroParks Virtual Bike Month Facebook Group or visiting metroparks.org/bike-month.
To protect the public’s health and safety, MetroParks extended cancellations and select closures through Sunday, June 7. The extension of these cancellations — originally scheduled through May 3 — included MetroParks’ annual Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast.
“Nature is open during these challenging times when so many things had to close for the health and safety of our community,” York said. “Cycling is a great way to be active, improve your mental and physical health, and experience the outdoors. It’s also a great way to give back to the natural world, as human-powered transportation reduces your carbon footprint.”
The League of American Bicyclists has designated Dayton a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community, and Dayton is home the nation’s largest paved trail network where you can experience 340 miles of connected trails. Five Rivers MetroParks is a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Businesses.
Always follow the CDC’s recommendations, particularly for social distancing, when spending time outdoors. For more information and to learn how you can help keep MetroParks open, visit metroparks.org/COVID-19. Stay up-to-date on alerts, closures and ways to get outside by following MetroParks on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
