Lake Tahoe, CA/NV – The 18th annual Tahoe Bike Month begins June 1, with a full month of bicycling events throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin. Hosted by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition, Bike Month is a basin-wide celebration of biking and a friendly competition to see which individuals and teams can record the most rides. There will also be weekly prizes given out via drawings, so everyone who records a ride has a chance to win.
“We’re excited to bring people together for the 18th annual Tahoe Bike Month,” said Nick Speal, Board President of the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition. “Everybody has a different way they like to ride their bike, whether it’s up a mountain or across town, and Bike Month has something for everyone. Maybe this year you can try riding somewhere new!”
As always, Bike Month kicks off with the annual bike path cleanup in South Lake Tahoe June 1 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by a happy hour. Participants will receive bike swag such as bike lights and bells when they ride their bikes to the event. Sign up and choose your cleanup location at: www.clean-tahoe.org/bike-path-cleanup.
Local elementary and middle school students are also encouraged to get involved in Bike Month by riding their bikes to school. Students who walk or ride their bikes to school on select dates will receive bike month prizes. Volunteers will be rewarding students at Incline Elementary School, Incline Middle School, Lake Tahoe School, Kings Beach Elementary School, and Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet school on Friday, June 2 and at Tahoe Valley Elementary School, Bijou Elementary School, Sierra House Elementary School, and South Tahoe Middle School on Wednesday, June 7 through Friday, June 9.
In preparation for bike and walk to school days, TRPA staff taught nearly 200 fourth grade Lake Tahoe Unified School District students how to bike and walk safely. The interactive Safe Routes to School lessons reviewed the rules of the road and how to properly fit a bike and helmet. These students are now well equipped to safely ride to school in June and beyond.
Community members are invited to participate in the annual Bike Month competition by registering at www.tahoebikemonth.org, connecting their account with Strava for free, and tracking their bike rides throughout the month. Participants can join as individuals or create a team and start recording rides. Each ride during the month of June is an entry to win local prizes. Check out leaderboards here: www.tahoebike.org/bike-month-leaderboard. Businesses can also get involved by providing discounts to customers that arrive by bicycle. Those businesses are featured on the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition website.
In addition to tracking rides on the website, there are several fun bike events happening all month long around the Tahoe-Truckee Region. Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition and South Lake Tahoe Library will be hosting a bike kitchen event every Friday in June, alternating between the South Shore and North Shore. Community members can bring their bikes to the bike kitchen and learn valuable mechanic and tuning skills. Visit the website to learn more about the bike kitchen events, bike path cleanups, America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride, Bike to Work days, the Tahoe Mountain Bike Festival, and more.
Whether you’ve been riding bikes for years or are new to the joy of life on two wheels, pump up your tires and join us for a great lineup of events. Check out this short video to help you get your bike ready to roll. Remember to share the road when driving and biking around the region. Be aware of an increased number of families riding on the road and make sure to give enough space for bikers.
For more information on Tahoe Bike Month, visit www.tahoebikemonth.org.
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With a mission to help make Tahoe more bicycle friendly, the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to promoting bicycling, bike events, and new bicycle infrastructure such as bike paths and bike lanes throughout the Tahoe region. Learn more at tahoebike.org.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency leads the cooperative effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region, while improving local communities, and people’s interactions with our irreplaceable environment.