Six ways to celebrate Bike Month in Philly

Six ways to celebrate Bike Month in Philly

May is Bike Month in the United States, and there are a ton of great activities throughout the Philadelphia region to take part in over the next three weeks. I’ve collected some of the many, many bike rides going on throughout May, all of which are worth your time. Even if you’re not an avid cyclist, these rides mostly consist of large groups and, as such, will be safer and easier than riding alone.

Maypril Fools Ride: May 12, 12 p.m.
Re-Load Bags in Northern Liberties makes some of the coolest bike gear around, and for the past 14 years, they’ve hosted a community scavenger hunt for cyclists. “Riders will stop at various checkpoints, performing goofy, fun tasks and collecting points along the way,” Re-Load noted of the ride. “Some checkpoints are bars, some are parks, some are local businesses that support cycling.” More information is available at ReLoadBags.com.

Ride of Silence: May 16, 6:45 p.m.
Each year, cyclists in cities around the world remember those cyclists who’ve been killed due to a lack of safe spaces to ride. Philadelphia’s Ride of Silence is a 10-mile slow roll — about 9 mph — and riders are encouraged to not say anything the length of the ride. Information is available at RideOfSilence.com or BicycleCoalition.org.

Bike to Work Day: May 18, 7:30 a.m.
Bike Month may be best known for the annual Bike to Work Day, which takes place in dozens of U.S. cities. People are encouraged not only to ride to work that morning, but to get their noncyclist friends to join them. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia will have stops set up throughout Center City, West Philly, North Philly and South Philly, handing out refreshments and swag. More information is at BicycleCoalition.org.

WTF Road Ride: May 19, 7 a.m.
Fairmount Bikes hosts this ride for women, trans, nonbinary and gender nonconforming folks. According to the Facebook RSVP page, this city road ride will “keep a steady pace, averaging 13-14 mph, and the ride will be about 25-30 miles.” More information is available at FairmountBicycles.com.

PMA Ride: May 26, 2 p.m.
Bike messenger Joe Cox is on a mission to “Make a Stranger Smile” (says so right on his bike), and as part of that mission, he hosts PMA (“positive mental attitude”) rides, delivering pizzas to Philadelphia’s homeless. He’ll host a May PMA ride on May 26th. Meetup will be in front of the Walgreens at the Kensington and Allegheny El stop. For more information, check out ThePMAbikeride.com.

Sunrise Ride: May 27, 4 a.m.
The Sunrise Ride is being put on by Cyclescene PHL, a local organization dedicated to riding together several times each month. They put on the Taco Ride (in which cyclists ride for tacos), the Full Moon Ride (a ride during each month’s full moon) and a few others. On May 27 at 4 a.m., the group will meet at the School District Building at Spring Garden and Broad streets, roll around the city for 10-15 miles, and end up at the Washington Avenue Green for sunrise. Sounds neat. Check out Sunrise Ride or CyclescenePHL on Facebook for more information.