May is MassBike's Bay State Bike Month, with dozens of bike rides, bike repair clinics, and other events all over the commonwealth. You can find a lot more events at MassBike's BayStateBikeMonth.org website, but here's a brief summary of some highlights:
Wednesday: Burritos and A Bike-In Movie
The Boston Cyclists Union is hosting a Bike Month celebration in Allston's Herter Park on Wednesday evening, including burritos for the first 100 arrivals, an ice cream cart, and screenings of two films about biking from Boston-area filmmakers (one of which we've already written about: Grecia White's "Women Who Bike At Night").
Register in advance and join a bike convoy from Jamaica Plain, Central Square, or Back Bay to get there.
Wednesday: StreetsblogMASS at Streetwise
The same evening, StreetsblogMASS editor Christian MilNeil will join the Somerville Bike Committee and the Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets to deliver the monthly Streetwise talk at Aeronaut Brewing in Somerville, talking about the strained intersection between climate and transportation policy in Massachusetts. 6 p.m. at 14 Tyler St. in Somerville.
Friday: Bike to Work Day
One of the bigger events of the month is Bike to Work Day, scheduled for this Friday, May 20. After a pandemic-induced hiatus, the City of Boston plans to host its annual Bike to Work Day festival again this year in Downtown Crossing from 7 to 9 a.m.
The city's organizers are also organizing volunteers for a dozen bike convoy routes that will pick up riders from as far away as Concord, Needham, and Quincy.
If you're not commuting to downtown Boston, you can also enjoy breakfast snacks and coffee with other bike commuters on Friday morning in Brockton (at the BAT transit center) and Lexington (at the Depot along the Minuteman Bikeway).
And next Monday, May 23, the Holyoke Bike-Ped Committee will host a breakfast for bike riders at Veteran's Memorial Park. Stop by between 7 and 9 in the morning for bagels, fruit, and coffee.
Learn Bike Repair
There are also numerous opportunities to learn basic bike maintenance and repair skills from professional bike shop mechanics this month:
- Worcester Earn-A-Bike is hosting open shop hours every Thursday evening this month from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Village, 4 King Street, Worcester (they're also seeking new volunteers).
- CommonWheels in Allston is also hosting open shops every Saturday from noon to 4 at the Grove Park, on the corner of Western Ave. and N. Harvard Street.
Join an Easy Ride
Several advocacy organizations and bike shops are hosting casual, low-speed rides.
- The Cambridge Bicycle Committee will lead a 14-mile, four-hour tour of the city's multi-use trails with a bike-mounted police escort on Saturday the 21st, starting at 9 a.m. from the central library (449 Broadway).
- WalkBike Springfield will lead a "6-ish mile" tour of Springfield's murals on the evening of Tuesday the 24th, starting at 5:30 p.m. from the Mason St. Library (765 State Street) in the McKnight neighborhood.
