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Wisconsin Bike Week 2024

Patience is a virtue and while much of the country celebrates Bike Week in May, Wisconsinites stand by under gray and cold and wind to come out strong with great weather in early June! When the weather cooperates it makes Bike Week that much better!

Wisconsin Bike Week 2024 will be celebrated June 1st-9th with this year’s theme “Bikes Mean Business.” Bikes are good for our local economies. In fact, an economic impact study by the Outdoor Industry Association shows cycling contributes $1.4 billion dollars to our state coffers and provides more than 13,000 jobs. And it’s not just in Wisconsin. The League of American Bicyclists report highlights impacts from around the country.

During this special week we are asking local businesses to get involved in supporting people who travel by bike and asking riders to, in turn, support local businesses. By prioritizing bike parking, protected bike lanes, traffic calming, and more outside your business doors you are helping to create a welcoming environment for cyclists. Businesses can encourage sustainable transportation choices and attract environmentally-conscious customers. This drives more business to you as “bikes mean business!”

We know from years of engagement work that not everyone can safely and comfortably get around by bike, so that’s why we host Wisconsin Bike Week with help from friends and partners around the state.  Not only do we aim to provide communities with safe routes, we want to educate residents on what they can do and where they can go by bike.

Businesses and communities that are interested in participating, but don’t have bike racks, can reach out to these local Wisconsin businesses to get started: Madrax Bicycle Security | Saris Infrastructure.

Check with your local municipality or Department of Public Works to see if they might have a free bike rack program like Milwaukee or Madison.

For Bike Week Event Organizers

Enthusiastic businesses, communities, non-profit organizations, and individuals around the state can create Bike Week events!  In the past we’ve seen popular commuter stations, workshops, group rides, lessons, bike movie nights, demonstrations, and discount offers.

Here are a few more ideas of how you can help celebrate Bike Week:

  • Commuter stations – Info
  • Trail work days
  • Garbage pick up along your local bike path
  • Showcase a new trail or a bike related community project 
  • Install a bike rack at a local park or business 
  • Host a bike related movie at your local theater or brewery
  • Host an education class 
  • Host a women’s, LGBTQ, or beginner rider information sharing clinic
  • Love your bike shop:
    -Host an in house event & offer a discount code for stopping in 
    -Discounts on service or other special that week
    -Group bike rides
    -Learn about your bike and basic maintenance
  • GO BUY A NEW BIKE from your local bike shop
  • Have a new idea you don’t see here? Go for it! and let us know, too…

Have fun and be creative – it’s all about making people who bike feel welcome and celebrated! 

Info Session:

Whether you are new to Bike Week or have participated in the past, we will be hosting a recorded information session with Q&A on Thursday March 21st at 1:00 pm – join us! If you are unable to attend and have questions about hosting an event, please contact Event Manager Heather Rainer: heather@wisconsinbikefed.org.

For Bike Week Guests

Bike Week is a great time to get out and explore! Consider riding your bike to a library, park, ice cream shop, nature or community center, favorite café/restaurant, and your local bike shop.  Make sure to thank businesses who provide bike parking or discounts, and if they don’t, consider politely taking the time to request they do or share resources on how to do better (we are working on some templates for this to be ready in time for June).

To help support bike shops, we invite guests to visit a favorite shop and bring a friend or family member that is interested in riding to show them around.  During your visit, we encourage you to take a picture of yourself making a purchase and tag @bikefed and #wibikeweek on socials along with a comment of why the bike shop you visited is important to you.

For Everyone

The Bike Fed’s improved online calendar will be THE place to add and find Bike Week events:

  • Organizers – “Submit Event”/”Add Event” and be sure to include the “Bike Week” category.
  • Guests – “Search” by date, location, event type, or all “Bike Week” category events.

Not interested in hosting or attending an event, but would still like to be involved? You can make a thoughtful donation to support advocacy and education efforts in our great state.

We look forward to celebrating Wisconsin Bike Week with our cycling community June 1st-9th!

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Our thanks to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for their support of Bike Week and the educational opportunities and PSAs you may see running on TV and billboards.

The billboard art that has appeared around the state.