Cyclists, get excited — National Bike Month is coming to Landmarkland.
Both Brookfield and Riverside have proclaimed the month of May to be Bike Month in their respective villages. Village President Michael Garvey read Brookfield’s proclamation at the village board’s April 22 meeting while Village President Douglas Pollock read Riverside’s at its board’s May 2 meeting.
“This is another [proclamation] is very near and dear to our hearts and symbolic of what Brookfield has become,” Garvey said at the meeting.
“The bicycle is an economical, healthy, convenient and environmentally sound form of transportation and an excellent tool for recreation and enjoyment of Brookfield,” he added, reading from the proclamation.
To celebrate the month, both villages spotlighted residents’ cycling initiatives.
In Riverside, the village pointed to Ride Riverside, a new community cycling group that started last month. Ride Riverside hosts monthly slow roll rides for residents at 6 p.m. on the second Friday of the month at the Riverside train station; this month, the ride is May 10.
Last month, Riverside hosted a ribbon cutting for its new bike repair station next to Gears 2 You at the Riverside train station, which was donated by the Riverside Junior Women’s Charity and installed in March.
In Brookfield’s proclamation, the village shouted out Cycle Brookfield, known for organizing last year’s Cycle Brookfield Criterium, a day of professional bike racing that is returning this summer.
“Thank you again to President Garvey and the village trustees for allowing us to proclaim May 2024 as National Bike Month,” said Cycle Brookfield President Chris Valadez after Garvey read Brookfield’s proclamation. “As many of you are aware, Cycle Brookfield is a nonprofit trying to educate and promote safety for all things bike-related in the town. The village has been a super partner for us over the years, so we are very grateful to have such a willing partnership with our village board.”
This month, Cycle Brookfield is promoting its online bike quiz, which residents can take at the organization’s website. The quiz has variations for adult and child bicyclists to brush up on biking behavior, techniques, mistakes and laws as well as for motorists to see how well they share the road.
“I take it once a year, and I’m surprised how often I fail some of the items there, but it’s a good refresher, so I encourage everyone to go to cyclebrookfield.com and take the bike quiz at least once,” Valadez said.
For National Bike Month, Cycle Brookfield is hosting three bike-related events.
On Friday, May 3, at 6:30 p.m., the organization its monthly slow roll social ride; cyclists are invited to meet up at the Compassion Factory on Broadway Avenue for a 2.5- or 5-mile ride through Brookfield together.
On Saturday, May 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cycle Brookfield will host its annual bike safety check up event, where residents can bring their bicycles by to check their tires, wash their frames and make other minor adjustments.
On Saturday, May 18, at 10 a.m., it will host a members-only “Oak-2-Oak” ride, from Imperial Oak Brewing on Ogden Avenue to the brewery’s location in Willow Springs and back. To attend, residents must sign up for an annual membership online, which runs as low as $10 for students and seniors and $15 for other individuals.
National Bike Month is promoted by the League of American Bicyclists, a nationwide nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to improving bicycle infrastructure and “strengthening communities through bicycling. The month was established in 1956 as a way to emphasize the benefits of cycling and encourage people to bike more often or try it for the first time.
As part of National Bike Month 2024, Sunday, May 5 will be the fourth National Ride A Bike Day. Bike to Work Week will take place May 13-19 with Friday, May 17 being named Bike to Work Day.
