Celebrate Bike Month in May with family-friendly bike rides in Champaign-Urbana
Grab your helmets and dust off your bikes: May is Bike Month. Bike trails, rides, tips, events and more for family cycling fun.
Hopefully May will bring nice biking weather back to Champaign-Urbana, one of the most bike-friendly cities in the Midwest – if not the nation. May is officially National Bike Month, and below, find ways to celebrate it around here.
Some of our favorite area bike trails include the still newish Kickapoo Rail Trail, which goes from Urbana to St. Joseph. Other favorite places to take the family for a bike ride in the Champaign-Urbana area include Meadowbrook Park in Urbana and Colbert Park in Savoy. For a more residential location, the Robeson Meadows Trail in southwest Champaign is a nice, calm place to ride – without much traffic.
Champaign-Urbana has a very active bicycling community, which programs many activities, including local Champaign-Urbana Bike Month events. If you enjoy group rides, the Prairie Cycle Club puts together events, some which cater specifically to families – not just in May, but throughout the summer.
Bike Month Events in Champaign-Urbana (a selection)
Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 3: Bike to Work Day (BTWD) is an annual event that celebrates those who ride a bicycle. On May 3, BTWD organizers challenge you to bike to work or class, and in return, they will provide stations and snacks and encouragement along the way. Registration for Bike to Work Day includes a free t-shirt. In 2019, there will be 14 stations throughout Champaign County. The date was moved from Wednesday May 1 to Friday, May 3, 2019 at 7-10 am. One sweet Bike to Work Day Freebie: Lucky Moon Pies in Mahomet is doing a special freebie this Friday for bicyclists.
Youth Bike Rodeo, Saturday, May 4: This event is a fun, FREE family event hosted by a group Recreation, Sport, and Tourism students from the University of Illinois! The event is designed for children from ages 4 to 10 to participate in bike riding safety and training. This will take place on campus by the ARC. More info HERE.
National Bike to School Day, May 8: National Bike to School Day provides an opportunity for communities across the country to support and encourage students to be more active through walking and bicycling, teach safe bicycling behavior, and encourage drivers to watch for child cyclists and share the road appropriately. Bike to School Day takes place at schools across Champaign and Urbana. See if your school is participating here.
Carle Playing It Safe, May 18: Playing It Safe is Carle’s free safety fair, featuring more than 50 activities and exhibits that focus on safety awareness for the entire family. The Bike Rodeo is presented by volunteers; bikes and helmets are provided. Children can go through the bike rodeo and learn new safety skills. The Bike Rodeo is open from 9 a.m. to noon. Bike helmets are also typically for sale at this event at very reasonable prices; get your child fitted.
Bike Month Celebration, May 22: Celebrate National Bike Month with the Urbana Park District! Enjoy a free concert at Weaver Park while visiting bike shops offering ABC bike safety checkups, as well as bicycle and advocacy groups. Join a round-trip night ride departing at sunset to enjoy the Kickapoo Rail Trail on way to St. Joseph.