May is Bike Month in Williamsburg, VA

"Put the pedal to the metal"

So this week, I'm deciding to do something a little different. I had to write a press release for a job interview on "May is Bike Month" in Williamsburg, Virginia and I think it does a pretty good job of explaining different things throughout the town of Williamsburg and the surrounding counties so I am just going to share it so you can see what's going on and hopefully come to Williamsburg! Here it is:

― The Greater Williamsburg Area welcomes the League of American Bicyclist’s national “May is Bike Month” ―

Williamsburg, VA ― Get your helmets on and your pedals going because “May is Bike Month” in the Greater Williamsburg area. The League of American Bicyclists has claimed the month of May as the national bike month and the Greater Williamsburg area is participating with the entire month planned with daily festivities.

During “May is Bike Month”, bikers will have the opportunity to participate in daily themed events which will lead you through the eight beautiful and unique trails located in the Greater Williamsburg area. The Williamsburg Area Bicyclists coordinated with other local area bicyclists groups to plan the events through the historic, urban, and woodland areas of the surrounding counties.

The fun begins on Saturday May 1st with Pedal the Parkway, where the Colonial Parkway will be shut down to vehicles from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The event is free and will begin at the Newport Avenue entrance to the Parkway where bikers will travel eight miles along side the serene landscape of the James River. Free helmets will also be distributed, while they last, to children who participate in the Bicycle Skills Rodeo.

The next big event planned during “May is Bike Month” is the Tour de Chesapeake’s Bikes, Bands and the Bay Festival which will last from May 14-16th. This event brings riders from all over the country to Mathews County for a variety of ride lengths from 15 to 62 miles at a self pace. The festival also includes water activities, a farmers market, wine tasting and a concert by the Easy Street Bluegrass band. The event requires a $60 fee for adults, $40 for teens and $25 for youth which will cover a t-shirt, lunch, rest stops and signed routes. Tour de Chesapeake is a program sponsored by BikeWalk Virginia and Mathews County.

The month comes to a close with the Williamsburg Weenie Rides sponsored by the Peninsula Bicycling Association. This event begins at 7:45 AM on May 29th at Upper County Park and takes bikers on numerous trails throughout James City, Williamsburg and York County. The rides range in length from 12 to 64 miles and there is a pre-registration fee of $15 which includes maps/cue sheets, snacks and of course, the weenie roast lunch.

Many of these events are sponsored by BikeWalk Virginia which, according to their website is, “a statewide non-profit organization that promotes biking and walking for health, environmental, and economic benefits.” For more information on BikeWalk Virginia please visit http://www.bikewalkvirginia.org

If you want more information on the other festitvites going on throughout the month, check out these websites:

• http://www.bikeleague.org/
• http://www.wabonline.org/
• http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=42775