Turning the Pedals from 2025 to 2026
As cyclists we love a good challenge. Give us a difficult course, a steep hill, an annual mileage goal, a rainy commute to work – we put our heads down and keep pushing the pedals.
The past year has brought challenges to people who love to bike that are requiring us to push harder. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves has promised that the next Federal transportation bill will be focused on traditional highway spending and “not funding for bike paths or walking paths”. Here in Wisconsin, the legislature is struggling to find a way to move forward with the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program. Knowles Nelson provides grants to build bike paths, create community parks, renovate boat launches, repair snowmobile trails and expand public hunting land. 90% of Wisconsin voters of all parties support public funding for these activities.
Outdoor recreation should be a health and environmental priority, not a political issue. In Wisconsin, outdoor recreation adds $11.2 billion to our state’s economy annually and is key to creating healthy, vibrant communities. This year, the Bike Fed continued to doggedly advocate for safe places for Wisconsinites to bike, walk and spend time outside – both federally and at the statewide level. These efforts earned the Wisconsin Bike Fed recognition as the League of American Bicyclists 2025 Advocacy Organization of the Year. We are thrilled by this honor and know it’s only possible with your continued support.
Now we have a challenge for you! Longtime Bike Fed supporter and former Board member Ted Galloway of Neenah has made a $30,000 challenge grant to the Bike Fed that we will only receive if we raise $30,000 in donations this holiday season. Please consider supporting the Bike Fed with a year-end gift as we are sprinting to meet this goal.
In 2026, your support will help the Bike Fed improve bike and walk culture across the state, teach thousands of children and adults to ride a bike for the first time, or to navigate their communities more confidently, and help communities access support for bike lanes, side paths, and trails. And we will never stop advocating for investment in active transportation because we know these investments yield powerful returns in quality of life, safety, and economic growth.
Thank you for considering a year end gift to the Bike Fed and for being a vital part of our biking community.
Sincerely,
Amelia Kegel
Board Chair
Kirsten Finn
Executive Director
We consider all donors part of the Bike Fed Family.
Supporters who give $50 or more annually receive benefits such as a Bicycle Benefits helmet sticker, the annual Ride Guide delivered to their home, and discounted registrations to some of the premier biking events in Wisconsin.