May is National Bike Month, as established by the League of American Bicyclists in 1956, and plenty of suburban events are organized for it.
“As the national sponsor of Bike Month, the bike League provides resources to help you and local organizations in your area plan an event, and each year the number and diversity of Bike Month celebrations continues to grow, accelerating the momentum around bicycling nationwide,” the League says on its web page about the big month.
The Active Transportation Alliance has its own page loaded with information and doings. Its biggest program is the Bicycle Commuting Challenge from May 11 to June 7, in which organizations compete for the four weeks to see who can earn the most points by riding their bike.
Schaumburg has its own, similar competitions both for businesses and “friends and family,” but it runs them in June, which the village calls its bike month.
But first, there’s what the League of American Bicyclists calls National Ride a Bike Day, on May 3. Then there’s Bike to Work Week May 11-17, and specifically Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 15. Many organizations and businesses have taken part in these events over the years — and of course, you can just do it yourself.
There’s also National Bike & Roll to School Day. “While May 6 is this year’s official date, communities are welcome to celebrate any May day — and any way — that best fits their schedules and local needs,” the website about the day says. The site offers a lot of guidance and resources for planning such a day at your school.
The Active Transportation Alliance says schools are participating in Arlington Heights, Algonquin, Batavia, Elmhurst, North Aurora, St. Charles, Hoffman Estates, Carpentersville, Palatine; those and more are noted on the national website’s map and detailed list.
May is Bike Safety Month, too. The Ride of Silence day, to remember bicyclists killed in a crash with a driver, is Wednesday, May 20, and at least a few such rides are scheduled in the suburbs.
List of events
This list of events in May and a little beyond was compiled by the Active Transportation Alliance.
- 5/1: Cycle Brookfield: First Friday Slow Roll Social Ride
- 5/1: Elgin Community Bikes: Full Moon Ride (8:45 pm, Fountain Square)
- 5/3: Highland Park’s Empire Bikes Back (9:30 am, Wayne Thompson Highschool)
- 5/5: Evanston Transit Alliance + Downtown Evanston: May Bike Ride (5:30 pm, Fountain Square)
- 5/6: National Bike to School Day: Schools participating in Arlington Heights, Algonquin, Batavia, Elmhurst, North Aurora, St Charles, Hoffman Estates, Carpentersville, Palatine
- 5/8: Ride Riverside: Slow Roll Ride and Bike Month Celebration (6 pm, Guthrie Park)
- 5/9: Arlington Heights: Community Bike Ride (9:45 am, North School Park)
- 5/9: Skokie Bike Network: Ride the Fire (Bike ride + Metra to 1:30 pm Chicago Fire Game)
- 5/15: Elmhurst Community Bike Ride (6:30 pm, Elmhurst City Hall)
- 5/15: Steamwood Biking: Family Friendly Bike Ride (6 pm, Park Place)
- 5/15: Bike Glen Ellyn: National Bike Month Celebration Ride (6 pm, Main Street Rec Center)
- 5/16: Cycle Safe Saturday in Batavia (9-11 am, Unity of Fox Valley)
- 5/16: Warrenville Bicycle Rodeo (9 – 11 am, Stafford Place)
- 5/17: Elgin Community Bikes: Far Westside Slow Roll (11 am, Plank Road Tap Room)
- 5/20: Ride of Silence in Arlington Heights, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Elmhurst, Evanston, Skokie
- 5/22: Safe Streets Alliance for Arlington Heights: Bike the Heights! Monthly Slow Roll Ride (6 pm, Harmony Park)
- 5/22: Elmhurst Movie Screening: Breaking Away (2 pm, Elmhurst Public Library)
- 5/24: Elgin Community Bikes: Kidical Mass Ride (1 pm)
- 5/26: Biking in Chicagoland Presentation (7 pm, Elmhurst Public Library)
- 5/30: McHenry County: Pedalpalooza 2026 (10 am – 4 pm, Crystal Lake, fundraiser)
- 5/31: Project Mobility: Everybody Rides 2026 (James O. Breen Park, St Charles, fundraiser)
- 5/31: Elgin Community Bikes: Full Moon Ride (8:45 pm, Fountain Square)
- 6/7: Fahrrad Tour von Schaumburg (10:30 am, Meineke Recreation Center, 220 E. Weathersfield Way)
• Do you find up-to-date information valuable? It’s provided for free with the help of readers like you. Consider donating to help defray the costs of this website and gathering the material for it.
