May is Bike Month, and Kalamazoo is planning a variety of events to promote and celebrate cycling.
Kalamazoo-Area Bike Week — Bike week starts May 11 and continues through May 18 with daily rides and bike related events. Full details can be found at www.kalamazoobikeweek.org.
Bicycle Show — The Bicycle Show will return to Bronson Park on Saturday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature cool vintage bikes, e-bikes, and other bicycling gear, along with food and live music. Community organizations will also be there to share information and resources about biking in the city.
Bike Rodeo — At the Bike Rodeo on Wednesday, May 15, kids can learn how to bike safely and make sure their gear is fitted and in tip-top shape. This free event will run from 5 to 7 p.m. at Mayors’ Riverfront Park. There will be a bike-powered blender to make slushies and free helmets for kids who need one. Guests can RSVP early to be entered in a drawing to win a new bike at www.kzooparks.org/BikeRodeo.
National Bike to Work Week & Day — National Ride Your Bike to Work Week coincides with Kalamazoo-Area Bike Week, starting on Monday, May 13, and National Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 17.
Stuart Neighborhood Bike & Flower Day — The Stuart Neighborhood Association will be hosting a Bike and Flower Day with a variety of spring activities on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event will take place near the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail (KRVT) at the northwest corner of Kalamazoo and Westnedge. Bike activities will include an unveiling of the new Dero Fixit bike station, bike mechanics on site to repair and tune up bikes, and bike decorating. Flower activities will include flower chalk art led by local artist, flower planting, and flowers for purchase.
Kalamazoo Commuter Challenge — The Kalamazoo Commuter Challenge is a two-week event (May 17th-30th) in which residents of Kalamazoo County are invited to ride their bicycles for any kind of trip — to work, shop, dine, or simply to enjoy cycling — in and around Kalamazoo, Portage, Vicksburg, Richland, or throughout the County.
You can participate individually or create a team with people from your office, school, or any other organization. Riders are encouraged to connect and share their rides through an online platform called Love to Ride, which incentivizes and encourages bicycle riding by gamifying the user experience in challenges, community, and training.
Users can log their routes and miles biked, share photos of their rides with other bicyclists, and get tips on riding. Routes logged will also show what routes riders are using most for future bike network planning.
The city says it is continuing its efforts to make streets safer for cyclists, starting with the addition of speed humps, making lanes consistent and appropriate widths, and improving signage, markings, and signals. The city says these changes have resulted in lowering speeds closer to traffic limits.
Kalamazoo has also expanded its bike network by adding bike lanes on Whites Rd, Park, Rose, Fulford, Michigan Ave, Stockbridge, Stadium, and Lovell St. The city plans to continue adding bike lanes, and that pilot cycle tracks on Lovell St and Stadium Dr are expected to be installed in June.
