May is Bike Month and we have things to do and places to ride. First up, the City of Lincoln is hosting Bike to Work Week beginning May 13. Click the Bike to Work link in bold to see the complete list of events and businesses offering discounts to those that ride there. Here are some of the highlights:
May 13th, 7-9 am: Stop off at one of several energizer stations throughout Lincoln on your commute to the office for a breakfast treat and to top off your coffee or grab some juice. Our main hub will be at the Telegraph Mill (330 S. 21st Street, accessible from the Billy Wolff Trail and N Street Cycle Track). Check out all the stop locations mapped out here(PDF, 562KB) to help you plan your ride into the office to kick off bike to work week.
May 16th: Meet up for the Tour de Lincoln SW Quadrant Ride at the Jayne Snyder Trail Center (228 N 21st Street, located on the Billy Wolff Trail). Check out GPTN for more information.
May 17th, 5-7pm: Wrap up bike to work week with a celebration at the Jayne Snyder Trail Center(228 N 21st Street, located on the Billy Wolff Trail). There will be pizza, live music, and drinks available for purchase. This all ages, family friendly event includes a raffle with great prizes thanks to our amazing sponsors!
May 19th: Enlist a team or complete it on your own, the Prairie to Prairie Run-Bike-Run is back for a second year. Learn more and register here.
Now for more on that Bike Lane project. Remember the open house on the proposed “Q” and “P” Street Bike Lanes Project? Well there is now a plan. “The proposed project will construct approximately 1.2 miles of buffered bicycle lanes between 17th Street and 25th Street east of downtown Lincoln. This project provides key connections to existing on-street bike routes and direct connections to the Billy Wolf Trail. The project also provides key connections to downtown and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.” Also: “The buffered bicycle lanes will include a minimum, 5-foot-wide painted bike lane with an up to 3-foot-wide painted cross hatch buffer on each side. The buffered bike lanes will be on the left side of the travel lane to help minimize conflict points with turning vehicle movements. Traffic operations may be further supported with modified traffic signs and protected bike phase signals at Antelope Valley Parkway. In select locations, flexible post delineators will be installed, directing vehicles away from the buffered bike lanes. The speed limit will also be reduced from 35mph to 30mph.” Click on the bold link above for more details.
May also means that the Nacho Ride is starting up again. Every Tuesday evening riders converge at the MoPac trailhead on 84th St. to ride to Baily’s Local in Eagle for nachos, refreshments, and camaraderie.
Here is a list of the theme rides for 2024:
May 7–Birthday Ride (18)
July 2–Freedom Ride
August 6–Hawaiian Ride
August 27–Big Red Ride
AND Great Plains Bicycling Club is hosting their annual Spring Fling on May 18th. The route is on paved surfaces between Eagle and Louisville of up to 60 miles.
Finally, the annual Ride Of Silence, commemorating those cyclists who have been killed in crashes, will take place May 15 at 7:00 PM. “Lincoln’s ride of Silence will begin at the Jayne Snyder center and gently roll through downtown with a stop at the state capitol to read names.”