Click to enlarge Bike Month poster.
It’s time to celebrate spring with Valley Metro’s Valley Bike Month. Events will take place in greater downtown Phoenix and all across the valley area.
Like a handlebar flowing with streamers, April is filled with festive bicycling activities varying from family fun rides and used bike drives to safety seminars.
Highlights include:
• Pedal Craft PHX: April 20, Downtown
• Bike to Work and School Day: April 18, Valley-wide
• The Valley Metro Great Bike Chase and Game: April 22, Downtown
• Valley Bike Month Contest: All month long, Valley-wide
Click here for the full calendar of events.
To participate in the Valley Bike Month Contest, first enter online, then be sure to ride your bike to work, for fun, or attend a biking event during Bike Month. Prizes include a Novara Corsa bike, bike tune-ups, hotel stays, or gift certificates for food and entertainment.
Bike Valet
Adding to the Valley Bike Month activities, Valley Metro is partnering with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Urban Commons Summit, and several local bike clubs to provide free valet bicycle parking for every D-backs game during Bike Month.
All April long, cyclists can bring their bikes to the designated area at the Urban Commons Summit, just across from Chase Field on Fourth Street. A volunteer will attach a claim check to the bike, and give the matching number to the rider. All the biker has to do is hold on to their valet ticket, enjoy the game, then return within an hour after it’s over to pick up their bike. The service is free of charge (however, the volunteers will gladly accept tips).
“Cycling has seen a surge in popularity recently, especially in central Phoenix. We are modeling our program after the successful partnership between the San Francisco Giants and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition” said Suzanne Day, Valley Bike Month coordinator.
The Urban Commons Summit is donating use of the Summit at Copper Square (pictured left) space to help support the effort. Other local organizations participating to help staff the bike valet include the Arizona Bicycle Club, the Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, the Tempe Bike Action Group, and more.
The partnership offers a temporary solution to the lack of bike parking downtown, and encourages more people to use something other than their cars to get to Chase Field. Downtowners can ride on over, and those who live a little further out have an incentive to bike to their nearest light rail station to get to the game. Positively impacting local air quality, decreasing pollution, and boosting the urban bike scene — win, win, and win!
Valley Metro Great Bike Chase & Game
On April 22, the Diamondbacks play the Braves at Chase Field. That’s fun in and of itself, but for this special Bike Month event, join hundreds of other bicyclists for a group ride from Margaret T. Hance Park to to Chase Field with a few stops and festivities along the way.
Starting at 10:30 a.m., there will be individual and group bike rides, a bike expo and safety rodeo, and kids’ activities. Participants will get discounted D-backs tickets and free valet bike parking (see above), with the game starting at 1:10 p.m. Get registered for the Great Bike Chase here.
Whether you’ve participated in Bike Month before or you’re new to pedal-pushing, there’s a way for everyone to celebrate getting around on two wheels, including families, those looking to learn more about bike culture, and people who ride their bikes every single day.
Follow Valley Metro on Twitter or like them on Facebook for up-to-the-minute updates and reminders about Bike Month!
