In Chico, it's Bike Month already. ChicoVelo kicked it off this past weekend with the Wildflower Century, along with the less-strenuous Childflower and Flatflower rides. But those were just the first of about a dozen events lined up for this year's local Bike Month campaign, Bike Chico.
Karen Goodwin, a cofounder of the Butte Bicycle Coalition that coordinates Bike Chico, explains the campaign was created to bring National Bike Month to life in the Chico community.
“So we promote on a local level what’s happening all over the country,” she said. “And it’s really just an encouragement piece to get people out and provide incentives – sometimes in forms of little stickers and t-shirts and other times in just great fun events for everyone to participate in.”
One of Bike Chico’s greatest fun events says Peter Hollingsworth – also a cofounder of the Butte Bicycle Coalition – is Bike to School Week. It takes place May 4–8 and, so far, 15 Chico-area schools have confirmed their participation.
“It’s a really fun event,” Hollingsworth said. “It really encourages both students and staff – and their parents – to ride during the entire week. And it’s a good opportunity for us to make contact with schools and talk about bike safety and just give the kids a chance to enjoy the beauty of riding their bike to school again.”
Other rides include an old-timey dress-up “Seer Sucker & Little Nippers” ride, an informative “Light up the Night” night safety ride and a “Mother’s Day Ride to Wildwood Park.”
As Bike Month rolls on, Goodwin says she expects even more events will be added to the schedule. To see a full list of events, the names of the schools participating in Bike to School Week or to get bicycle safety tips visit bikechico.org.