Events throughout July to celebrate Bike Month

HONOLULU (KHON2) – When was the last time you took the time to jump on a bike and take a nice stroll around the block? 

Or really just taking time to focus on your health?

Did you know that the month of July has been designated as Bike Month? 

To find out more about this, we are here with the Executive Director of the Hawaii Bicycling League, Travis Counsell. 

What is bike month all about?

“So, Bike Month is all about celebrating bikes, showcasing all the great benefits that they provide, and really just getting more people to ride bikes,” says Counsell

How far does this go and what really is the origins of bringing this together?

“So, this actually started, the Bike Month celebrated, started in 1956,” says Counsell.

Counsell says, “The League of American Bicyclists on the mainland really brought it out as a way to showcase all those benefits, highlight what biking can do, and really to get people out riding.”

So, Bike Month. 

This is an entire month dedicated to this. 

I know we missed the 7-11 Free Slurpee Day. 

What other events are taking place?

“Yah, so hopefully everybody got out there and enjoyed a free ride on Biki thanks to 7-11,” says Counsell. 

“But, lots of great events throughout the whole month.  Everything from Energizer stations.  These are popular spots and commuter routes to really thank cyclists for riding. You might get a coffee or a snack on the way home. That type of stuff.  Those are every Tuesday and Friday,” Counsell emphasizes. 

“We also have a virtual rally to celebrate safe streets and get speakers from the state and the city and local partners to come together and push some advocacy efforts in that way.  We also have social events like the Aloha Shirt ride which is just a fun social ride as well as different pau hana and other activities to get people out riding,” Counsell says.

“Also, we are excited. We have a free helmet giveaway at the end of this month. We are partnering again with Biki and Central Pacific Bank to give away helmets to those that need them,” Counsell says.

Counsell adds, “And then we have some fun ones like free bike valet at the Jack Johnson concert which is a fundraiser for HBL and other partners where if you ride your bike, you have benefits of parking up close, and we will watch your bike for you at the concert. So full calendar of events.”

Tell us a little about Hawaii Bicycling League. 

What is your mission and even with partners such as Biki, what do you guys hope our viewers are going to take away from this story today?

“So really, our goal at HBL is to enable more people to ride bicycles rather if it’s for health, recreation or transportation,” says Counsell.

“We work with partners to increase bike lanes or other advocacy efforts.  We also have education efforts like Bike Ed, Keiki fourth grade education, and we also do events like the Honolulu Century Ride and Bike Month to really encourage people to get out and ride. So, a little bit for everybody to really encourage them to get out and ride in whatever way makes sense for them,” says Counsell.

If you don’t have your own bike, you have no excuse because at least you still have Biki stations to grab your bike and take a stroll around. 

Again, Bike Month takes place throughout the rest of July.

There are a bunch of events taking place so for the full list of that, click here.