Bike Month 2024
This May, we celebrate all the ways people ride during National Bike Month.
There are so many ways to celebrate Bike Month: sharing ice cream with your community on First Friday, your commute during Bike to Work Week (and Day!), riding/rolling to school on May 8th, a spin with a friend, or riding on May 5 for National Ride a Bike Day.
First established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to proudly ride or give it a try. The Coalition has a long history of Bike Month celebrations – from ice cream rides and movie screenings to parades and pizza – the bike has been, and will always be, a tool for bringing us together.
Harrisonburg City Parks and Recreation has teamed up with the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition to present you with various activities to celebrate Bike Month. All events are free, and are open to all.
May 3: Kline’s First Friday Ice Cream Ride
We are kicking off Bike Month with a First Friday Ice Cream Ride to Klines! This will be a casual, around-town bike ride designed for the whole family. Before enjoying the rest of your evening downtown, this will be a mellow and gentle ride through town. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Date: Friday, May 3rd
Time: 6p-7p
Location: We’ll meet in the parking lot next to Kline’s on E. Wolfe St. in Downtown Harrisonburg
Route: 2 mile loop in Downtown Harrisonburg
Bring your helmet and bring your kids! (And if you’re under 18, bring a parent or guardian!)
Did we mention that there will be ice cream at the end?
May 4: Hillandale Bike Rodeo
Date: Saturday, May 4th
Time: 9:30am-12:00pm
Location: Hillandale Park
Come out to Hillandale Park to get your bikes ready for summer riding! We will help you adjust your bike, inflate your tires, and make sure helmets are fitting well. This activity is open to all ages.
Learn bike safety, test your riding skills, enjoy prizes, and learn about biking opportunities in the Harrisonburg area. Participants can ride through different obstacle courses, ride the trails, or take on the pump track.
Representatives from local bike organizations, Harrisonburg Fire and Police will all be at this event! Helmets are required by law in Harrisonburg for anyone 14 years of age or younger. This event will run rain or shine. We will cancel for severe weather.
May 5: Bike Maintenance Clinic at the Friendly City Food Co-Op
We’re partnering with the Friendly City Food Co-Op and local bike shops to bring you this DIY Bike Maintenance Workshop.
Date: Sunday, May 5th
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Friendly City Food Co-op Patio
Dust off your wheels and learn essential bike maintenance skills firsthand from a local group of expert bike mechanics. Whether you’re a seasoned cyclist or just starting out, this FREE event offers invaluable knowledge to keep your ride in top condition. Sign up in-store or online to secure your spot. This workshop will be presented by Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, Wyse Cycles, Rocktown Bicycles, and Bluestone Bike & Run.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn from the best and confidently maintain your bike at home! Admission is FREE, but space is limited sign up online and grab your bike to join us for a fun and informative session.
May 7: Let’s Talk “Bikes”: A Conversation at the Intersection of the Bicycle, Urban Infrastructure, and History
Join us in conversation with Author and Historian Evan Friss and Harrisonburg City Public Works Transportation Planner Jakob zumFelde—both bicycle enthusiasts—as we discuss riding and active transportation in urban settings. This panel will discuss Harrisonburg’s local infrastructure, design, history, and connectivity.
Date: Tuesday, May 7th
Time: 6:30 PM – 8 PM
Location: Pale Fire Brewing
May 8: Ride/Roll to School Day
Ever seen a Bike Bus?
Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day creates opportunities for children to interact and socialize with their peers, teach pedestrian and bicycle safety skills, and create positive experiences to encourage active and independent transportation later in life.
Most of all, it’s a party parade..all before school even starts!
Routes:
- Routes organized so far: Waterman ES (Lee Ave and Collicello), Keister: (Sunset Heights and Purcell)
- Lee Ave: 8:40a
- Collicello: 8:20a
- Sunset Heights, Wyndham Woods: 8:33a
- Purcell: 8:30a
- Pleasant Hill Route: 8:32a
*If you would like to lead a “bike bus” on May 8th, please contact
May 15: The Ride of Silence
For 20 years, the Coalition has participated in the Ride of Silence to honor those who have been injured or killed while riding bicycles on our public roads, raise awareness that we are people, and to value our personal safety.
Although cyclists have a legal right to use the road along with motorists, the motoring public often isn’t aware of these rights and is sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.
This is a FREE ride, but you are REQUIRED to sign a Waiver: Click to Sign.
What to Expect: For the Ride of Silence, cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. The ride is FREE and will go no more than 12 miles per hour.
Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Harrisonburg’s Ride of Silence begins and ends at the University Commons on the Eastern Mennonite University campus.
Questions? Marshall Hammond is the event organizer. Contact him with questions:
May 23: Bike Everywhere Day
Location: Court Square, Downtown Harrisonburg.
Time: 7a-10a
