National bike month continues through May, but that doesn’t mean June deserves no bike love. Luckily the Sports Backers have June’s back.

Bike Walk RVA and members of the Richmond bicycling community are thrilled to present Dinner & Bikes, an evening with Elly Blue (author of Bikenomics) and her team of filmmakers and chefs on Monday, June 16, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Robinson Theater in Church Hill.

“We are very excited that Elly will be coming to Richmond for the first time this June,” said Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA for the Sports Backers. “Her book, Bikenomics, is a very insightful and well-researched look at the real transportation costs of families and individuals, and how investing in bicycling can help people, businesses, organizations, and cities thrive economically. We are looking at significant dollars in the City’s 2014-2015 budget to start building family-friendly bike infrastructure, and Elly knows better than almost anyone what a difference this can make.”

City Council and the Mayor’s office have introduced amendments to the City’s budget that include $4.5 million to build new bike lanes on Richmond’s streets and bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure along the riverfront, pending approval next week by City Council. The City is also finalizing its first Bicycle Master Plan, which plots out a full network of lanes and paved trails to be built in the coming years.

“Momentum is building in Richmond,” Hepp-Buchanan said. “Building bike infrastructure is one clear way cities are making progress on issues of economic opportunity, competitiveness, and neighborhood revitalization. Elly’s research in Bikenomics showcases how this can work for Richmond.”

The annual Dinner and Bikes Tour, a multimedia roadshow of food and bicycle enthusiasm, will be putting on events in 28 cities in twelve states from Portland to Miami. June 16 will be the first time the Dinner & Bikes tour has come to Richmond.

This event will come on the heels of the Better Block project in Church Hill North the weekend before (June 13-14), which will temporarily transform a two-block stretch of N. 25^th Street into a walkable, bikeable, and economically healthy place to live, work, and play for the weekend. The Dinner & Bikes event just a couple of days later will tie in those themes and explore how other cities have made the temporary improvements of the Better Block permanent.

For just $10, attendees of Dinner & Bikes will enjoy a gourmet healthy buffet while participating in an interactive presentation about how to effectively make a compelling case for bicycling, equity, and transportation activism. The tour is traveling with a food- and bicycle-themed pop-up bookstore. Authors will be available to chat and sign books after the event.

Tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here: http://bit.ly/dinnerandbikesRVA. The $10 entry fee includes dinner, and seating is limited to the first 75 people who purchase tickets. The event is expected to sell out, so people are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.