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
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!
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.
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.
Lawrence / Douglas County’s Fall Walk / Bike to School Day Is October 5th
Below is is a repost from a Lawrence’s Well Commons article dated 9/27/16
Lawrence-area students are once again dusting off their walking shoes in preparation for this fall’s annual Walk to School Day.
Slated for Oct. 5, the global event encourages kids — and their parents — to walk or bike to school on a designated day each year. All Lawrence elementary schools — with the exception of Pinckney, which has moved students to Lawrence’s East Heights School while undergoing renovations — are participating in this year’s local celebrations, says Michael Showalter, the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department’s health promotion specialist.
The health benefits of walking, he says, are obvious. In addition to spurring more physical activity overall in kids, studies link walking with helping to maintain healthy weight, blood pressure, and bones, muscles and joints, Showalter said.
There’s also, he said, the promise of social interaction that kids won’t find in a car commute.
“It’s about togetherness and connecting with your community and your friends,” says Showalter, who also coordinates the Health Department’s Safe Routes to School program.
He has seen plenty of groggy kids in school parking lots rolling themselves out of Mom’s car in the same way they’d sluggishly roll themselves out of bed in the morning. Walking, Showalter says, wakes students up, creating a mindset that is ready to engage in learning.
Last year, “we had over 3,000 students,” mostly at the elementary-level, participate in Walk to School celebrations in Lawrence, he says. This year, the Health Department and its partners are widening their scope to Eudora Elementary School, where kids will end their walking journey to school after meeting first at the Eudora Public Library and using the new shared-use path that runs behind the school.
In Lawrence, Sunset Hill Elementary School is offering muffins and juice for walkers, while Langston Hughes Elementary School is celebrating with music and prizes. New York Elementary School students are invited to meet staff and Principal Nancy DeGarmo at Hobbs Park (702 E. 11th St.) at 7:30 a.m. for an en masse walk down 11th Street and eventually New York Street to the school.
Local Walk to School Day events are coordinated in partnership the Health Department’s Safe Routes to School program, with the city of Lawrence, the LiveWell Lawrence coalition, Lawrence Public Schools and the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization.
“What we really want to impart to community members and students is that walking and biking is fun. And it’s easy,” Showalter says. “And the more you do it, the more fun you have and the easier it becomes.”
Showalter encourages parents to reach out to their schools for more information, or to contact him directly at 843-3060 or [email protected]. Schools are also posting Walk to School Day events at www.walkbiketoschool.org.
The weather was beautiful and around 100 riders and volunteers came out September 17th for the Lawrence Fall Community Bike Ride organized by Lawrence Central Rotary. “We had everyone from novices and kids on training wheels to local professional riders come out,” said Central Rotary Club President Jim Peters, “our club rallies around these events and it’s great to be able to provide a safe and encouraging event for bike riding.”
Event chair Steve Lane coordinated volunteers and organized the sponsors from all over Lawrence. “Steve’s organization and prep for this function like a Swiss watch,” said club member Tobin Neis, “we wouldn’t be able to do it without him.”
Lawrence / Douglas Country Community Health Planner Charlie Bryan was on hand showing attendees the proposed “Lawrence Loop” bike / multi-use path. LiveWell Lawrence and partners continue to advocate for finishing this 22-mile loop trail around Lawrence everyone could enjoy.
Exciting for both local Rotarians as well as attendees to see was an assembled ShelterBox which Lawrence Central Rotarians have heavily supported over the years. A ShelterBox is a simple and effective solution to deliver the essentials people need to survive and begin to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a disaster.
ShelterBoxes are tailored for the particular disaster being responded to, but typically includes a disaster relief tent for a family, thermal blankets and groundsheets, water storage and purification equipment, solar lamps, cooking utensils, a basic tool kit, mosquito nets and children’s activity pack.
Thanks to all our sponsors and volunteers who made this happen!
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.
