May is Bike Month Rolls into North Natomas

The Heritage Park cycling crew participate in a North Natomas TMA event. / Courtesy Photos

BY ABBEY HARDING, NNTMA
FOR THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

May is Bike Month rolled in today with the North Natomas Transportation Management Association leading the way.

The regional month-long biking campaign was launched in 2005 to promote bicycling and reward cyclists who participate. As part of the campaign, the North Natomas TMA has planned several ways for area cyclists – both seasoned and newer riders – to parcipate.

BIKING CONTESTS

Last year, north Natomas residents, teachers, students, and employees rode for a combined 98,646 miles.

Mellissa Meng shows off the May is Bike Month school plaque.

In an effort to encourage youth to ride their bikes, the North Natomas TMA promotes cycling campaigns at 10 area schools including H. Allen Hight Elementary, Heron School, Leading Edge, Natomas Middle School, Natomas Park Elementary, NP3 Middle School, Natomas Charter PFAA, Regency Park Elementary, Westlake Charter School and Witter Ranch Elementary.

During the month of May students, teachers and staff at these schools record their bike trips on log sheets. The logs are tallied weekly by the North Natomas TMA. All participating students earn weekly prizes for riding their bikes and compete for top riding honors awarded at the end of the month.

Each year, the school that rides the most miles earns the Million Mile May plaque which is displayed on campus.

There’s also a contest for Flyer Shuttle riders. Riders who use shuttle bike racks to bring a bike to work and practice one-way commuting have a chance to win a pair of May is Bike Month socks. Participants can take the shuttle to work in the morning and ride their bike home in the afternoon or ride their bike to work in the morning and take the shuttle home. Riders may also bring their bikes to work via the shuttle to use during the day for errands, to attend meetings or recreational rides.

ORGANIZED RIDES

Several bike rides and at least one bike clinic hosted by the North Natomas TMA are also planned for the month of May.

First on the calendar, is a ride to the Capitol BikeFest on May 8. On May 10 a neighborhood ride through farmland to Elverta and back is scheduled. Bike to Work Day is May 15 and, new this year, is a Kidical Mass set for May 18.

On May 13 a free bike clinic will be held at the North Natomas Library Community Room. The class is taught by a League of American Bicyclists certified instructor and is meant to help riders learn how best to cycle safely, navigate the rules of the road, choose good travel routes as well as proper clothing and gear for rides.

May is Bike Month: Getting Started

To participate in May is Bike month 2014 register at www.mayisbikemonth.com to start logging miles for 2014.

Share your cycling activity throughout the month via social media by tagging posts and photos with #iBikeNN and follow the North Natomas TMA’s #31reasonstobike on Twitter and Facebook.

More information on how to get riding this month can be found on the North Natomas TMA’s website at www.NNTMA.org and the Sacramento Area Bicycles Advocates website at www.sacbike.org.

-A.H.