Sequim ready to roll for National Bike Month
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 3, 2023
It’s time to get those wheels spinning: May is National Bike Month.
Warm up for summer riding with “Bike Month” activities organized by the Sequim Bicycle Alliance — an umbrella coordinating group for cycling interests in eastern Clallam County, furthering the goals of Sequim’s Bronze-level “Bike Friendly Community” designation: education, encouragement, engineering, evaluation and planning, enforcement and economic development.
New this year, Sequim Bike Studio is hosting Thursday Evening Gravel Rides starting at 5:30 p.m., offering “a little adventure and a great group of riders to explore with.” Rides depart from Sequim Bike Studio, 213 E. Washington St.
Average rides are two-and-a-half hours and 30-40 miles at a moderate to “spirited” pace, with re-grouping as needed. Gravel bikes are ideal and mountain bikes are too, though but the long pavement sections can be hard. Road bikes are not recommended. Ebikes are welcome, with the stipulation that those riders observe proper cycling group etiquette. See more details at tinyurl.com/SEQgravel.
Also new this year, Sequim Bike Works is offering safety checks and full bike inspections for free at its booth each Saturday at the Farmers and Artisans Market and a “Bike Month Tune Up Special” for $35 (first-come, first-served or text/call 360-797-1446).
Join other local riders or create a team for the online “Bike Everywhere Challenge” at lovetoride.net/washington — a way to motivate yourself, family, and friends to ride. Points are earned by the number of miles, trips and kudos given, and results are categorized by state, region, workplace type, etc., as well as by individual riders.
Play Bike Month Bingo and challenge your friends. Print out a Bingo card for 2023 from sequimwa.gov/933/Bike-Month.
Cheer on Spoke Folks, Women on Wheels, and the Sequim Wheelers as they ride by in the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s Grand Parade, set for noon on Saturday, May 13, in downtown Sequim.
Starting at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 15, the City of Sequim’s Parks, Arbor, and Recreation Board monthly meeting is held at the Sequim Civic Center, 152 W. Cedar St., and online. Share your input on bicycling in the city. Find more information, a meeting link and an agenda at sequimwa.gov/219/Parks-Arbor-and-Recreation-Board.
Friday, May 19: National “Bike to Work Day” — people arriving by bicycle get a free cup of drip coffee (until 10 a.m.) at Rainshadow Café, 157 W. Cedar St.
Bike Month events are coordinated by members of the Sequim Bicycle Alliance, with special support and contributions this year from the City of Sequim, Sequim Bike Studio, Sequim Bike Works, and Rainshadow Café.
An up-to-date schedule and details are posted on the City’s website, sequimwa.gov/933/Bike-Month, and Facebook/Instagram: @SequimCycling and #bikesunnysequim.
For more riding opportunities, join local Strava clubs “Take a Spin in Sequim,” “Sequim Bike Works,” “Ben’s Bikes Sequim” and “Port Angeles Likes Bikes” at Strava.com and post photos of your rides and on social media with the hashtags #BikeMonth, #BikeThere, and #BikeSunnySequim or on @SequimCycling pages.
Year-round biking activities
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, starting at 9:30 a.m., the Spoke Folks roll out from 950 N. Fifth Ave. (Sequim Community Church’s north lot). The group’s rides average 20 miles. Helmets are required. The group goes at a moderate speed, no drops, riders welcome. For details, call Tom Coonelly at 360-681-7053.
Every Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m., the Women on Wheels (WoW) meet at Railroad Bridge Park/Dungeness River Nature Center, 1943 W. Hendrickson Road, for safe group rides. For more information, email Jeanie Robards at nwbikerlady@gmail.com.
Every Sunday, starting at 9:30 a.m., the Sequim Sunday Riders depart from the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge, 554 Voice of America Road, for a 25-mile-plus ride. For more information, call Randy Barber at 360-477-4156.
