There’s no better way to spend National Bike Month than to pedal down the breezy streets of Eugene. To celebrate, PeaceHealth rides, the Outdoor Program and LiveMove are collaborating to welcome students to UO Bike Week.

Since 1956, May has been celebrated as National Bike Month sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists “to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to give biking a try,” said the League on its website. Lane County began participating in 2014 and has since developed a full calendar of events for Bike Month hosted by City of Eugene Transportation.

From May 22 to May 26, Bike Week will do more than just promote sustainable transportation by also welcoming students to experience the joys of bike riding throughout Eugene. The calendar is packed with group bike rides to destinations like Delta Ponds and Prince Puckler’s, brunches, bike tip panels. All events besides the movie nights will begin at the Outdoor Program located in the Erb Memorial Union.

Reiya Bhullor, a UO sophomore and outreach intern at PeaceHealth rides, began bike riding as an outlet during the pandemic. Bhullor said she knows the biking trail along the Willamette River by heart.

“We want students to be engaged in sustainable transportation, but we also want students to have fun and make new connections,” Bhullor said.“In my personal experience, the bikers I know are scattered everywhere so having this one central spot where everyone can engage and connect with others is really important.” 

Don’t have a bike? No problem. PeaceHealth is offering a free month of riding for monthly membership users. If your bike has seen it all and needs any maintenance, the Outdoor Program offers do-it-yourself maintenance to all UO students and faculty along with bike rentals. 

Apart from working out your legs and staying healthy, biking reaps profound environmental benefits, as it does not release pollution and rely on fossil fuels. The Adventure Cycling Association said that increasing bicycle trips by 1 to 3 miles can have a significant impact on emissions and fuel consumption. The association found that moderate increase in bicycling could annually save 6 to 14 million tons of carbon dioxide and 700 million to 1.6 billion gallons of fuel.

UO Bike Week aims to promote environmental sustainability by making bike culture more accessible to all students, Bhullor said.“Our campus is big and navigating it on a bike is faster, sustainable and cheaper than buying gas and paying for parking.”

Editor’s Note: The printed version of this story mentions a movie night at the Outdoor Program Barn, which was canceled by the event organizers after the paper was sent to the printer. The digital version of this story has been updated to reflect that cancellation. At the time of publishing, all other bike week activities mentioned in the article are still happening as planned.