It’s CycloMAYnia and National Bike Month is officially here in the US! With longer, milder days in the northern hemisphere, it’s time to recognize bicycling for the multitude of benefits it provides – improving our health, economy, and environment.

Here in Ventura, weather is a crapshoot. We’ve had rainy first Fridays every single month of the year–and 70 degree night rides too! Fortunately, for tonight’s Star Wars Day First Friday ArtRide “The Empire Bikes Back” the weather should be PERFECT.

So light your bike like your favorite Star Wars vessel, energize your light saber, find your robes, gather your buddies and meet us at 5:30pm tonight at the Artists Union Gallery or outside Aloha Steakhouse on the Ventura Beach Promenade for a ride to various galleries and art studios around downtown and the west side.

Because INVITED YOU ARE!

Here are three more ways to make the most of this year’s National Bike Month from the PeopleForBikes.org crew:

1)     Go for a type of bike ride that you normally wouldn’t: If you’re a road rider, try a mountain bike ride. If you’ve never ridden your bike to work, give bike commuting a shot. And if the ride to work isn’t something you can tackle this year, ride your bike to run an errand you would normally do by car, even if it’s just a trip to the coffee shop or ice cream parlor.

40% of trips Americans take are two miles or less, an easy bicycling distance.

2)     Introduce one other person to bicycling. Whether it’s your partner, a coworker, a family member, or just a friend, help someone find a bike and go for a fun ride. Bicycling is a pretty amazing thing, right? Why not encourage someone else to discover the activity that brings you so much happiness.

Invite them on an ArtRide! June 1 is Secret Agent Man!

3)     Participate in one or more National Bike Month events. A list of community rides can be found at the League of American Bicyclists, and here are some key national events:

• National Bike to School Day (May 9)
• CycloFemme, the International Day of Women’s Bicycling (May 13)
• National Bike to Work Week (May 14-18)
• National Bike to Work Day (May 18)
• National Bike Challenge (May 1-August 31)

This May and this summer should be an amazing time for bicycling in America. An increasing percentage of our national leaders recognize bicycling as a simple solution for transportation challenges, jobs and economic development, and health and obesity issues. Communities are investing in bike lanes and paths more than ever, helping bicycling to become safer and stress-free. We encourage you to take advantage of these new places to ride by participating in National Bike Month!