Category: Lawrence Biking (Page 7 of 34)

Get On Your Bikes and Ride!

June 7, 2017 /

There are some great family friendly bicycling events for you to check out here in Lawrence and you can even represent Douglas County in the National Bike Challenge! It's easy and gets you out to enjoy the summer.

There are 4 great events (and other weekly ones) for you to check out. They are free and fun for the whole

July 15: Summer Community Bike Ride
Aug. 13: Family Fun Ride
Aug. 19: Family Fun Ride (watch for more details)
Sept. 16: Fall Community Bike Rid e

But there's another cool event running through the rest of the summer. The National Bike Challenge is a nationwide event uniting thousands of current bicyclists—and encouraging countless new riders. It is a free and easy way to challenge yourself, your colleagues and your community to ride more while competing on a local, state and national level.

They use an app called Strava to keep track of all the miles people ride. Currently, Lawrence is in second place in KS by just a hair to Witchita. You can help us over the edge.

The Challenge is a great way to get involved and bicycle more as individuals, companies, and communities, together as a nation. It's not just for hard-core riders, it's for recreational riders too, just get out there, log your miles and represent Douglas County!

To read more about it check out the National Bike Challenge website https://nationalbikechallenge.org/

Miles Ridden in KS as of 6/8/17

Lawrence Parks and Rec To Offer “Pre-Driver’s Ed” on Bike Safety

June 2, 2017 /

Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department is offering an opportunity for kids 12 years-old to 16 years-old to get out and discover the benefits of using bicycles as a form of transportation while also being introduced to the rules of the road.

Pre-drivers Ed will take place 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, June 12-16, at Hobbs Park, 702 East 11th St. Class instructors will teach participants the skills needed to safely and effectively use their bike as a form of transportation. Each day kids will learn and practice new skills before going on a group ride to a popular destination. On the final day, all participants will enjoy a movie at Southwind Theaters. Participants will ride on the sidewalks as well as roads and must provide their own bike and helmet. Each child is also encouraged to bring spending money for snacks at various destinations. Cost is $90 per child.

An additional Pre-drivers Ed program will be offered 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, June 26-30, at Hobbs Park.

Register online at http://lprd.org/activity?n=325750 or at any Parks and Recreation facilities including: the Community Building, 115 West 11th St.; East Lawrence Recreation Center, 1245 East 15th St.; Holcom Park Recreation Center, 2700 West 27th St.; Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center, 4706 Overland Drive; Prairie Park Nature Center, 2730 Harper St., Sports Pavilion Lawrence, 100 Rock Chalk Lane or the Administrative Offices in historic South Park, 1141 Massachusetts St.

For more information, please contact Stephen Mason, recreation center programmer, at (785) 832-7940.

Ride To School Day 2017

May 11, 2017 /

Lawrence Schools participated in the 2017 Bike to School Day.

National Bike to School Day provides an opportunity for communities across the country to join together to celebrate safe, active transportation and, where needed, to bring attention to necessary changes so more people can safely bicycle to more places. Participation in the annual event grows every year and as of today, over 2,500 schools in 49 states have registered events on the official Bike to School Day website, walkbiketoschool.org. The success of Bike to School Day is thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment of tens of thousands of students, parents, volunteers, school administrators, elected officials, and community leaders.

“Bicycling is a wonderful way to exercise, have fun and can be a means for some students to get to school,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. “National Bike to School Day is an opportunity for communities to highlight the many benefits of bicycling and promote bicycle safety for Americans of all ages.”

“On Bike to School Day, we’re pleased to report that places around the country are celebrating the fun of biking to school and prioritizing children as they look to improve transportation safety for their entire communities,” said Nancy Pullen-Seufert, Director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School. “For example, Chicago, New York City and many rural and small town communities are seeing school zones as priority places to address speeding traffic – which can have safety benefits for everyone.”

Here's a great story 6 News Lawrence did on happenings here in Lawrence.

Lawrence Helmet Fair 2017 — Saturday 4/15

April 11, 2017 /

The Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department will hold their annual Helmet Fair on Saturday, April 15 on the University of Kansas campus alongside the annual Spring Football scrimmage. The event will be in Lot 58―the parking lot just West of Memorial Stadium. The event will run from 10:00 a.m. to Noon and is free to attend. Immediately following the Helmet Fair, the KU Spring Football Scrimmage will take place at 1:00 p.m. in Memorial Stadium.

At the event, public safety staff will be on hand to provide and custom-fit bike helmets for children age 15 and younger (with an adult, while supplies last). Participants can have their bicycle inspected and take a ride on the Safe Ride Course. Staff will provide information on the rules of the road, bicycle safety tips, bike trail etiquette, booster seat safety and pool safety.

The Hy-Vee Hawk Zone will be offered from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. featuring family-friendly activities.

The city’s Police and Fire-Medical Departments and Kansas University Public Safety are joining efforts to provide this event, along with several private and non-profit business partners including Kansas Athletics, Laird Noller, Safe Kids Douglas County, McDonalds, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop, Douglas County Medical Society, Lawrence Mountain Bike Club, Dillons, Ranjbar Orthodontics, Jack Ellena Honda, State Farm Insurance, and Lawrence Pilot Club.

The Tour of Lawrence Takes a Year off in 2017

March 21, 2017 /

Lawerence organizers of the Tour of Lawrence have announced the event is taking a year off in 2017.

“We’re listening to the riders, who are our customers, and also responding to trends in the cycling world,” said Bob Sanner of Lawrence Sports Corporation, which organizes the tour. “It’s a necessary move on our part. ”

2017 would have been the 9th year, but according to Sanner multiple roadway projects over the last could years and ongoing into this year have prohibited the use of the KU Campus

“When we started the Tour of Lawrence eight years ago, our organizing group wanted to offer what we considered the best that Lawrence had to offer when it comes to race venues,” Sanner said. “One of those venues was our ability to offer a race on or near KU’s campus.”

According to a LJWorld story:

The date of the event and the format of the races are also going to be changed, Sanner said. The three-day tour is typically held in July and includes three events for various categories of riders, but Sanner said it might take place earlier in the year when it returns. Last year, the tour included two long-distance races — held at Haskell Indian Nations University and downtown — and a 200-meter sprint on Vermont Street.

Based on feedback from cycling teams, Sanner said the plan is to eliminate the street sprints, and instead have two criteriums and a circuit — all long-distance races.

“We’re asking riders to come in from Dallas or Chicago, and what they would really enjoy and thoroughly support would be three solid days of racing, and the street sprint really didn’t satisfy that,” Sanner said.

Sanner said the hope is for the tour to return next year with the new format, and also bring back KU’s campus as one of the race venues.

We look forward to the return of the race hopefully in 2018!