Bike Safety on National Bike Week

Bike Safety on National Bike Week

This week is National Bike to Work Week, and I’ll admit… up until today, it’s felt a little cold for leisurely biking. I used to think it was silly that Wisconsin had its own Wisconsin Bike Week. Why not celebrate all biking during the same month, during the same week, during the same day? Well, spring in Northern Wisconsin has finally made its point at me enough years in a row. I concede. Let’s celebrate biking in June.

While May is National Bike Month, Wisconsin Bike Fed celebrates Wisconsin Bike Week on May 31st-June 7th. And there are some great bike events underway that week, including the Epic Bike Fest in Cable and the new Brule River State Forest MTB Trail Ribbon Cutting on June 6th. This is a great launch to all the other great biking events going on in June (see “Other Tidbits” below).

Our Monday night group rides brought May Bike Month in with an oomph. Our first ride had 17 on the casual ride and 7 on the tempo ride, while our second ride had 19 join the casual ride! What a strong start to a so far cold season.

It’s always heartening to see the increase in bikes out and about as spring finds its way to the Northland. We’ve seen strong sales in helmets, and it’s good to know folks are taking care of their brains. But I hope people will prioritize some other safety too — on road safety. Being visible and following road laws (such as biking with traffic, indicating turns, and stopping at stop signs) goes a long way towards sharing the road. Because if we expect cars to share with us, we also have to do our part. We can’t control the cars, but we can control how to we ride and how we dress.

Bike Safety

Biking is an important, healthy, life-changing, and community-enhancing activity. But it also comes with its risks. While we can’t control the actions of cars and others on the road, we can control ourselves.

Our responsibility as cyclists, first and foremost, is to exhibit bike safety.

If we expect cars to treat us safely and follow the rules, we also have to do so. That means:

• Wear a helmet. You only get one brain. Silly mistakes happen. Make helmets a non-negotiable (like click-it or ticket for cars).
• Be visible. If cars don’t see you, they can’t act. Have bright lights on even during the daytime. Wear high visibility clothing with reflective elements. Be big. Be seen.
• Follow road laws. On the road, YOU ARE A VEHICLE OF THE ROAD. That means you must stop at stop signs. You must signal. You must stay in your lane. If you expect cars to treat you like a car, you must act like a car. (But also, tell your friends and family, that when you’re biking in the road, then they treat you like a road vehicle. They probably don’t know!)
• Be predictable. Most cars dislike bikes on the road because we often act unpredictably. We are more maneuverable and versatile, but we often therefore don’t follow road laws and don’t act predictably. That means… stop at stop signs. That means… signal your turn.

Want to learn more? Wisconsin Bike Fed has some great resources on safe cycling and road laws — for adults and for children.