 Friend — This year, Bike Easy decided to shift our Bike Month challenge to align with the national effort around Bike Month in May. I first started working with our local monthly challenge when I was invited to join the Bike Easy Challenge Planning Committee in 2017. I first took the helm of this effort in 2020, where lots of hard work and planning had to pivot when the COVID 19 pandemic severely limited our capacity to provide programming. The 2020 Bike Easy April Challenge didn’t see the number of participants we had seen previously, but the miles surpassed every year when we had previously held it. In addition, we heard from many people how thankful they were to participate and interact with others through the virtual platform. Each year since, we’ve seen a decline in interest from sponsors and participants. We made the decision this year to pivot to the National Bike Month effort that the League of American Bicyclists supports. Though it was a tough decision, it seems that we chose a great year for it! Love To Ride just launched their new app, which streamlines recording rides and has a big focus on collecting data to advocate for better biking throughout the country (and of course supporting our efforts in the region)! You can read more about the details for the National Bike Month below in their email copy. Including details about their new app, potential prizes, and why you should help #MakeEveryRideCount
Join our upcoming events! - Tuesday, April 30th: Join us for our next installment of BIKE TALKS, where we will be providing materials and more information about the National Bike Month
- May 1 – 5th: New Riders Week. Let’s celebrate new riders and encourage our friends and neighbors to get on a bike!
- May 6 – 12th: Get in Gear Week. One week down and tons of rides to go! Did you notice your bike making weird noises? Not shifting no matter how much you make the shifter click? Follow us for maintenance tips, or visit one of our wonderful local bike shops to get expert help.
- Tuesday, May 7th, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm: Commuting by Bike Workshop, join us for a in-depth discussion on how to commute by bike. We’ll cover best practices for safely and comfortably biking to work and to run errands. If you’re considering replacing car trips with bike trips, this is a great place to start!
- Tuesday, May 7th: Give Nola Day! Support our work to make bicycling easy, safe, and fun for everyone in Greater New Orleans by donating that day, and helping us raise 30,000.00!
- Wednesday, May 8th: Bike Night at NOLA Motorsports – 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. This year, proceeds of registration for Bike Nights go to Bike Easy! It is an exceptional experience to ride on the tracks and this event is open to people of all ages and skills. Check it out and support our mission at the same time.
- May 13 – 19th: Bike to Work Week. Join the national effort to get more people biking to work! We’ll have different activations throughout the week as well as tips throughout the week on our social media.
- Sunday, May 19th: Our Ride to Remember is a unique event in partnership with Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery. We’ll be honoring the people in our community who lost their lives while biking over this past year, leading leisurely paced rides around the beautiful grounds, and providing safety information and materials. This event is for all ages, and a limited numbers of bikes will be made available. Check out the event page for more information.
- May 20 – 26th: Where Ya Ridin’ Week. Let’s talk about some of our favorite rides and destinations around the region! We’ll share some recommended routes to travel to different neighborhoods and hope you’ll share some of yours.
- May 27 – 31st: Bike to a Better Future Week. In this final short week of the National Bike Month, we want to reflect on the riding our community has done and figure out how to best shape and advocate for the future of bike riding in the region.
- Wednesday, May 29th: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure screening at the Broadside – 7:00 pm. Bike Easy and the Broadside are partnering for a night of celebrating bikes! There will be FREE Bike Valet, and a discounted rate for people who bike to this screening: You will only have to pay 1.00
- Wednesday, May 29th: Bike Night at NOLA Motorsports – 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. This year, proceeds of registration for Bike Nights go to Bike Easy! It is an exceptional experience to ride on the tracks and this event is open to people of all ages and skills. Check it out and support our mission at the same time.
———- email from LoveToRide about Bike Month ———- 
 Your rides can help make communities better for biking
Do you want to improve the streets and paths you ride on? Well, now you can! This May, in collaboration with the League of American Bicyclists, we’re encouraging riders everywhere to #MakeEveryRideCount.  With the new Rate My Routes feature on the Love to Ride app you can share how safe and comfortable you feel on your bike rides. All feedback is 100% anonymous and can help contribute to better, safer infrastructure decisions.
Plus, there’s a chance to win a prize! Download the app today! 
A little more about #MakeEveryRideCount After you’ve been for a bike ride you’ll be able to open the Rate My Routes feature and ‘paint’ over sections of your trip with your finger. If you enjoyed a section of the ride, paint it green! Or, if you felt uncomfortable/unsafe on a section of your ride, paint it yellow or red. Your anonymous feedback is combined with that of other riders to help pinpoint which areas of your community are in most need of infrastructure improvements. You could play a big part in your local area becoming safer and more enjoyable for bike riding!  What’s the benefit of better bike infrastructure? Good bike infrastructure enables more people to feel safe as they ride, and enjoy all the health, environmental and financial benefits that come with it! More people on bikes can also mean fewer people in cars, which results in:  A reduction in air and noise pollution
 Reduced traffic
 Less road damage
 Improved health and wellbeing in the community
Any kind of bike ride can make a difference, whether it’s to work, school, to the store or for fun. Want to get your co-workers competing in the Bike Month Challenge? Find out about how we support companies to gain all the benefits of getting more employees riding and smiling. #MakeEveryRideCount this May! Happy riding, The Love to Ride team lovetoride.net/usa |
— David Meza, Bike Easy
Community Programs Coordinator |
