Champaign County Bikes celebrates a decade of C-U Bike Month: The Wheelhouse to provide free snacks and coffee on May 1

The month of May is a great time to put your best wheel forward.

Established in 1956, National Bike Month, which is recognized in May, is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to give biking a try.

On May 1, Champaign County Bikes, the local bicycle advocacy group that organizes Bike to Work and Bike to School days throughout Champaign County, will encourage residents of area communities to set down the keys to their cars and enjoy all the benefits that come with riding a bike.

Ten years ago, Bike to Work Day was celebrated by employees throughout the City of Champaign biking to work. In 2019, Champaign County Bikes has grown the vision for Bike to School and Bike to Work Day by including 14 towns throughout the county.

This year’s theme, “Champaign County Trails-Connecting Communities & People” highlights multi-use trail systems that are being established throughout Champaign County to help people experience the world both on foot and by bicycle.

Champaign County Forest Preserve District Planning Director Jon Hasselbring said that trail system being established provides an alternative safe, off-road line for transportation.

“They are great for beginners, and help people build skills and confidence to ride in other settings, such as bike lanes alongside vehicular traffic,” he said.

“Trails allow people to slow down and experience the sounds, sights, and smells of nature. When people commute via trails, they use less fossil fuels, and help to reduce carbon monoxide emissions.”

The Champaign County Forest Preserve has worked alongside the Village of Mahomet to develop multi-purpose trails to serve local residents with places to run, bike and explore.

In 2016, the Champaign County Forest Preserve opened 6.7 miles of the Kickapoo Rail Trail from Urbana to St. Joseph in order to give people a path between the two locations. The CCFPD will continue to develop the 24.5 mile trail, which will end up at Kickapoo State Park in Vermilion County.

Hasselbring said that CCFPD trails see increased use throughout the month of May. He hopes that with the focus being put on the way trails throughout the county bring people together and encourage them to experience nature in a new way, more people will get out and use the trails throughout the spring, summer and fall months.

“Trails have many benefits,” he said. “They improve the health of users. When combined with natural resource restoration projects, they improve the health of our ecosystems as well. They can increase nearby property values and stimulate economic activity. Simply put, trails improve quality of life.”

Champaign County Bikes Executive Director Jeff Yockey said that each year roughly 20 percent of participants are experiencing their first time biking to work or school.

Some riders join co-workers who ride their bikes to work often while others make it a family affair by dropping their children off at school on bicycle before heading off to work.

To encourage people to ride, Champaign County Bikes partners with local business owners to provide stops for the bicyclists to grab a T-shirt, learn more about the benefits of cycling, grab a snack or get a free tune-up (at some locations).

St. Joseph’s Wheelhouse will have breakfast foods available for cyclists, coffee or water during the morning hours.

This is the second year the Wheelhouse has been involved in Bike to Work and School Day. Yockey contacted owners Ryan and Abbie Rogiers in 2018 about being part of the event in 2018 when he learned that the bicycle-themed restaurant was right along the Kickapoo Rail Trail.

Abbie said she and Ryan were excited to be part of the event because they love their community and bicycles.

Last year, several students stopped for banana muffins on their way to school.

“It was a beautiful day!” Abbie said. “We had several kids who came and ate, or took food to go , and then continued on their bikes to school.”

An avid bike rider during her childhood, Abbie remembers what it was like to ride down the road during the summer months with the breeze blowing in her hair.

She hopes that students learn about the freedom a bicycle brings but that they also learn something from the education component provides by Champaign County Bikes.

“I hope we can encourage kids, and adults alike to feel (or remember) the simple joy of riding a bike,” she said. “There is something special and fulfilling about riding a bike on a nice day, Made even better with friends.”

She hopes that adults take away something from the event, too.

“I hope adults passing by the event will be reminded to be cognizant of the cyclists in our town,” she said.

“But ultimately, I hope that people will consider riding bikes instead of driving cars, when they can. It is such a benefit to the environment, it’s great exercise, it frees up parking spaces downtown, and it’s a lot of fun!”

Yockey said that the partnership between cyclists and business owners is a healthy one.

“To see cyclists in a community, it’s a sign of a good quality of life when you see people walking on the streets and riding on the streets.”

Yockey, who lives a mile-and-a-half from the University of Illinois in Urbana said he can get anywhere on campus within seven minutes of his home.

“For many people it’s one of the quickest and most convenient modes of transportation,” he said.

Yockey admits that sometimes it does take him longer than seven minutes travel time when he stops to talk to his neighbors along the way.

“Most trips that people take are less than 3 miles; and that is a very doable distance on a bicycle,” he continued. “You get to enjoy the outside, you get some activity in your life, it’s fun: listening to the birds, seeing the changes. The world is a pretty sweet place and you can enjoy it when you’re outside and traveling at a slower pace.”

Sometimes the slower pace of cyclists and pedestrians in comparison to cars or trucks can cause accidents. But Champaign County Bikes wants everyone to know that the road belongs to everyone.

That’s why this year’s t-shirt that will be available for those who register, includes a graphic of Albert Einstein and Jean Driscoll.

“We’re advocating for users of roadways: bicyclists, wheelchairs, pedestrians,” Yockey said.

“The roads belong to everybody. We just need to be graceful and thoughtful to other road users.”

Champaign County Bikes also hopes to use May 1 as a way to raise money for the groups advocacy.

The volunteers spend time both at events and in the schools educating youth and adults about the importance of riding bikes. Donated money also goes towards the development of future trails throughout the county.

To register for Bike to Work or Bike to School Day visit http://cubikemonth.weebly.com/register.html.