Bike Month aims to promote more of this.

Today marks the launch of Bike Month in the Richmond region. Bike Walk RVA is in its second year of coordinating a full month of bike-related events, with the help of dozens of volunteers from all over the region.

Events range from family-friendly neighborhood events, like kids’ bike parades (aka ‘Kidical Mass’), to rides with history, food, and even Star Wars themes. Activities will also include group bike commutes and bigger festivals like Dominion Riverrock (May 15-17). With over 30 events planned so far, there is something for everyone in different parts of the region.

“Bike Month is the time of year when Bike Walk RVA can have a little fun encouraging grassroots volunteers and enthusiasts to not only focus on building safe spaces for people who walk and bike but enjoy the social and active benefits of getting out to ride,” said Brantley Tyndall, Community Engagement Coordinator for Bike Walk RVA. “Understanding that Richmond’s Bike Month is part of a national movement helps folks feel like part of a bigger vision – that anyone, anywhere, should be able to enjoy riding at any time for any reason or trip.”

Click here for a full list of bike month events, and to see the Bike Month poster.

Richmonders ride through Monroe Park during Bike to Work Day 2013. Credit: Phil Riggan

Bike-Friendly Business District Announced as Part of Bike Month
Also in celebration of Bike Month, a group of businesses in the Bellevue neighborhood along MacArthur and Bellevue Avenues have partnered in collaboration with Bike Walk RVA and Bellevue resident and BikeableRichmond.com blogger Jason James to form the ‘Bellevue Bike-Friendly Business District.’

It will serve as the city’s first self-proclaimed bicycle-friendly business district, and participating businesses will offer discounts and other special deals for people who arrive by bike during the month of May. Participating businesses will be identified by window-clings displayed in their front windows starting May 1.

“As a resident of Bellevue, among the things I love about the neighborhood are the many restaurants and shops within biking distance from pretty much anywhere in Northside,” said Jason James. “It’s already a pretty bike-friendly area if you’re traveling within it, and yet I get the feeling that not many people use bicycles to run errands or visit local shops and restaurants. The idea is that people might be tempted to try it if they have a little extra incentive. ”

Click here for a map of participating Bellevue businesses and nearby bike racks