KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The 12th annual Kalamazoo-area Bike Week (KBW) begins Saturday, May 13 and wraps up Saturday, May 20.
Spring has arrived, and cyclists are out and about. Bike Week offers many ways to stay active and healthy, whether running an errand or out on a local adventure.
Honorary KBW Co-Chairs Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson and Portage Mayor Patricia Randall welcome the greater community to enjoy another fun-filled week of rides and activities. The two are scheduled to lead the Mayor’s Ride on Saturday May 20.
Organizers said Bike Week’s events and activities aim to raise awareness of the many opportunities to bicycle during the week and throughout the year.
Spotlights for the week include:
- Locally available bicycle clubs, riding groups and shops
- Group riding on roads and trails
- Using bicycles for everyday transportation and running errands
- Lessons on how to get bikes ready to ride and how fix a flat
- Bike Camp and Bike Rodeos - teaching safe riding skills for adults and kids
- Local bicycling developments
- Mountain, dirt & gravel rides
- Public safety messaging
- Bike show featuring exceptional bicycles
- Bike-related nonprofits
You can find lists of bike safety tips, maps and safe passing yard signs while supplies last on the announcement's page of Kalamazoo-area Bike Week's website. You'll also find ways to donate bicycles and drop off bike tires and inner tubes for proper disposal at no charge.
Kalamazoo Area Bike Week organizers said it is one of the most event filled and oldest week-long celebrations of bicycling in the United States. Details for more than 30 activities, plus an updated downloadable artist-designed Bike Week poster can be found here.
Bike Friendly Kalamazoo (BFK) is a Michigan non-profit organization working to improve the quality of life through bicycling. Its volunteers and stakeholders are drawn from throughout Kalamazoo County and portions of Van Buren County. BFK’s programs are supported in part by grants from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Marvin and Rosalie Okun Foundation, the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, the Michigan Council for Arts & Culture, the Jim Gilmore, Jr. Foundation the League of Michigan Bicyclists, corporate contributions from Stifel Financial, Stryker Corporation, Bell’s Brewing and Clark Logic and individual donations from the Friends of BFK. For more information please see www.bikefriendlykalamazoo.org [bikefriendlykalamazoo.org].
