Brookfield will be awash in bicycles on May 20 as the village hosts its second annual Bike Brookfield event from 9 a.m. to noon.
The event kicks off at 9 a.m. with a kids Bike Rodeo sponsored by the Brookfield Police Department in the rear parking lot of the Brookfield Village Hall, 8820 Brookfield Ave.
Police will hand out free T-shirts and bike helmets to first 100 kids, while kids can test their skills on a bicycle safety course, get free bike inspections and get up close and personal with some of the village’s fire trucks.
At 10 a.m., police will escort young children on a short Kids Ride, which will start in the rear parking lot and head north on the trail along Salt Creek to Washington Avenue and then east to McCormick Avenue. Then the ride will head south to Brookfield Avenue and back west to the village hall.
Adults will then hop on their bikes at 11 a.m. for the 10K Community Ride, which will tour throughout the village. This year’s route will be a bit more extensive than last year’s.
In 2017, cyclists will start on Brookfield Avenue near the Grossdale Station, 8820½ Brookfield Ave., and then head down Grand Boulevard, wind through Eight Corners and then head north from Monroe on Park Avenue all the way to 26th Street and then over to Maple Avenue, where riders will enter the Salt Creek Trail and head east to Canata Adult Life Services where a water station will be set up.
The ride will then head back west on 31st Street to Prairie Avenue and then back to Kiwanis Park.
There will be a Bike Brookfield after party at the Kiwanis Park pavilion, featuring music raffles and refreshments.
Last year, more than 400 people participated in Bike Brookfield and participants are being asked to register online at www.brookfieldil.gov/bike-brookfield-registration.
Event day registration will take place at the Grossdale Station prior to 9 a.m. on May 20.
— Bob Uphues
