It's Time To Drag Out the Bicycle

Ride Solutions in Roanoke, which is doing everything humanly possible to get us off our oversized asses and onto alternative transportation is pushing a number of events in May, which is Bike Month. There are rides, discounts and even free tune-ups for your bike (don’t underestimate the value of one of these, even if you haven’t ridden your bike in a while). Here’s a list of some of what’s going on:

Bike Ready at Roanoke’s Earth Day Celebration: Ride Solutions and Earth Day Roanoke will sponsorpresent Bike Ready on Saturday, April 23, 1-3 p.m. in the parking lot of the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op. Area bike shop mechanics and volunteer technicians will offer two hours of free 10-minute bike tune ups. Tune ups will provide a basic check of tires, chains, brakes and other safety equipment.

Mayor’s Bike Ride: Saturday, May 7-10. Roanoke Mayor David Bowers will lead a much-too-short, family friendly ride along the Roanoke River Greenway from the new Vic Thomas Park all the way to downtown Roanoke. You’re on your own once you get downtown. But there is plenty of ride left.

Bike Shorts Film Festival: The Shadowbox presents Bike Shorts Film Fest May 28.  Submissions are being accepted for locally made short films that center on cycling, anything from mini-documentaries up. The winner of the film festival will receive $100. Submission deadline is May 10.<

Discounts for Cyclists: Tudor’s Biscuit World is bringing back Casual Fridays, offering cyclists a thee-topping biscuit and large coffee every to counteract all that exercise Fridays in May. Fork in the Alley and Fork in the City will reward diners who arrive on bike with 15 percent off their meal every Friday during Bike Month.

Ride Solutions is trying to document every bike rack in the Roanoke and New River Valleys with a region-wide Bike Rack Hunt photo contest.Photos will be integrated into the Bike Roanoke interactive bike map.

Franklin County  Poker Run (that would be "Ride") begins on May 7  at the Franklin County Recreation Park. Cost is  $10 per rider and proceeds go to benefit the Free Clinic, which provides medical care for uninsured families of the poor. Registration between 9 and 11. Local bluegrass favorites will perform and you can eat barbecue chicken lunch afterwards, in order to put back the calories you lost.

A complete list of the growing roster of events can be found here.