National Bike to Work Day is a great opportunity to get some exercise, and to save gas. Did you ride your bike to work today?
National Bike Month was started by the League of American Bicyclists over 50 years ago. The event was timed to coincide with the arrival of warmer weather. It has inspired countless bike rides, safety inspections, commuter challenges, ribbon-cuttings, “share the road” promotions, and other varied celebrations of bicycling in communities across the nation.
One of the most popular activities in Bike Month, is encouraging people to bicycle to work and forsake their motor vehicles for just one day. Bike to Work Week is the third week in May, and the third Friday in May is designated as National Bike to Work Day.
The League was founded initially as the League of American Wheelmen in 1880. Bicyclists, known then as “wheelmen”, were challenged by rutted roads of gravel and dirt, and faced antagonism from horsemen, wagon drivers, and pedestrian.
In an effort to improve riding conditions so they might better enjoy their newly discovered sport, more than 100,000 cyclists from across the United States joined the League to advocate for paved roads. The success of the League in its first advocacy efforts ultimately led to our national highway system.
Read more about the League’s history here.
