May is Bike Month! Lot’s of Ways to Celebrate Cycling in Central lndiana
May is National Bike Month: A chance to celebrate all things cycling. Below are all the fun ways to ride your bike during the month of May. We hope to see you out and about enjoying the ride!
(We are hitting the high notes here but be sure to check out this event list for all the most up-to-date events happening this May.)
Bike Fest
Sunday, May 4 from 1 pm to 4 pm @
Guggman Haus Brewing, 1701 Gent Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Let’s kick off Bike Month in style! Join us for a celebration of all things cycling. It will be a fun day filled with live music, speakers, cycling organizations and raffle prizes.
Agenda:
1:00 - 3:00 pm: Cycling vendors in the Festhall
1:15 pm: Blessing of the Bikes
1:20 pm: Raffle drawings
1:30 - 2:00 pm: Speakers
2:00 - 4:00 pm: Live music in the Beer Garden with Davey Allen!
Be sure to check-in at the selfie station in the Festhall to get your Bike Month sticker and raffle ticket. And it’s also National Ride a Bike Day so we encourage you to ride your bike to the event (You get an extra raffle ticket for riding to the event! Just show us your helmet). Extra Bike Parking will be available.
Public Info and Input Event: Help shape Indianapolis Trails and Greenways
Monday, May 5 from 5:30- 8 pm @ Garfield Park Arts Center
Tuesday, May 6 from 5:30 - 8:30 pm @ Frederick Douglass Family Center
Are you passionate about trails and greenways in our community and want to help shape their future? The City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works is hosting two open houses where you can learn about the ongoing Greenways Strategic Implementation Plan and share your voice.
CCTF Bicycle Lunch & Learn
Thursday, May 8 at noon,
Virtual Presentation
Here’s a chance to hear all about trail development in Indy. This is a free virtual event. Registration is required.
Indy Parks Ride Series: Riverside
Thursday, May 8 at 6 pm @
Riverside Park (Pacers Bike Share Station) 1720 Burdsal Parkway, Indianapolis.
Join us for a fun relaxing bike ride through Indianapolis’ scenic greenways and trails. Led by friendly staff at CIBA-Bike Indianapolis, this program is designed for cyclists of all levels.
Registration is required (Program Code: 35225)
Can’t make this one? Join us for the next one at Eagle Creek Park. We are offering them one a month May through August:
June 12 at Eagle Creek Park
July 10th at Ellenberger Park
August 21 at Frederick Douglass Park
Riding Bikes & Driving Safe
Saturday, May 10 from 2:30 - 4 pm @
Riverside Park Family Center, 1616 E. 25th St., Indianapolis, IN 46205
Rediscover the joy of riding with a 1.5 hour seminar on cycling AND driving safe. CIBA-Bike Indianapolis will provide you with all the info on the what, where, when, why and how of cycling. And, as most of us are also drivers, we will share how we all can share the road safely, whether we are on a bike or in a car. Participants will receive a front and tail bike light.
This presentation is free. Registration is required.
Bike to Work Week
Mon, May 12 from 7 - 9 am @ 10th & Brookside
Wed, May 14 from 7 -9 am @ Michigan & White River Pkwy
Friday, May 16 from 4 - 6 pm @ Monon Trail & Half Liter
National Bike to Work Week promotes the bicycle as an option for commuting to work. CIBA-Bike Indianapolis, in collaboration with CIRTA/Commuter Connect, IMPO and the City of Indianapolis, is hosting this event to highlight our multi-use trails that are available for commuting, the benefits of alternative transportation and the overall benefits and joy of cycling. We are providing free coffee and breakfast on the trails and a happy hour celebration on Friday, May 16 for Bike to Work Day. We encourage you to ride your bike to work and hope to see you at one of these events:
Bike to the 500
Sunday, May 25th
Registration Link and Event Details
Don't sit in traffic when you can pedal past the crowds on an escorted route and park at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Join us at the AMP at 16 Tech on Sunday, May 25th and Bike to the 500!
Ride with several hundred others to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where your bicycle will be parked and monitored while you enjoy the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Bike parking is just west of Gate One at the Racing Capital of the World. This is as close as it gets to all of Race Day’s most exciting action.
You can alternatively ride to the Indy 500 from wherever you like, and reserve a space in the monitored Bike Valet Parking area.
We will be once again be offering two separate police escorted rides:
Early ride departing at 7:30 am
Late ride departing at 9:30 am
A fundraiser for CIBA-Bike Indianapolis, proceeds from this event allow us to work toward our mission to get more people riding!
500 Miles in May Challenge
CIBA-BI challenges members to ride 500 OUTDOOR miles or kilometers during the 31 Days in May. You may qualify to purchase a custom 500 Miles in May jersey or Tech T-shirt by Peak1.
Members will get an invitation to track their miles using Ride with GPS, or at the end of May, send a list of your rides and mileage to Bill Linhart (bill.linhart56@gmail.com) and you will receive instructions on how to get your special ‘500 in May 2025’ members jersey. CIBA Membership link
RidewithGPS Challenge
During 2025, CIBA-BI will be running RidewithGPS Challenges for Distance, Time and Climbing.
Any active CIBA-BI member can participate by setting a free RidewithGPS account, and then requesting access to the CIBA’s RidewithGPS club account. Once linked to the CIBA Club account, CIBA-BI members receive many of the paid members features of Ride with GPS.
Want to participate but not a member? Join now!
Neighborhood & Repeating Rides
Repeating and Supported ‘Fitness’ Rides:
Check out the calendar to see all the rides offered. Rides are available almost every day of the week! Each ride has a description, including the pace and the distance.
Neighborhood & Community Rides - Slow & Social:
Near Eastside Community Rides leave every Wednesday at 6:00 pm sharp from Centerpoint Brewing, 1125 E Brookside Ave, follow John Franklin Hay for updates
Irvington Neighborhood Ride, Saturday, May 17th, 10:00 am @ Bona Thompson Memorial Center, 5350 E University Ave
Freewheelin’ Community Ride, Saturday, May 17th, meet at 9:30 am and roll at 10:00 am @ 3355 Central Ave, Indianapolis. Family and beginner friendly.
Riverside Riders, Thursday Weekly Rides, 5:30 gather and 6:00 pm roll from the Family Center at Riverside Park, 2420 E Riverside Drive
Weekly Tuesday Vandalia Trail Rides - Starting at 6:30 pm. 1st and 3rd Tuesdays start at 5041 Railroad St in Amo, IN. 2nd and 4th Tuesdays start at 651 Vestal Rd, Plainfield, IN.
New to biking? Participate in the Bike Buddy Program!
Do you want to ride your bike but are hesitant because it’s been a while? Maybe you aren’t sure of the rules of the road or if your bike is even in working order? Join the Bike Buddy Program to be paired with an expert cyclist who can answer all your questions and help you feel more comfortable on your bike.
This program allows cyclists of all backgrounds and levels to work one-on-one with a Bike Buddy Mentor who will help you plan safe and efficient bike routes all over Central Indiana, share bicycling rules and regulations, and more! Mentors can also help you plan your route to work, where to park your bike and how to transport work items.
We just had a Bike Buddy Mentor training so we have a great group of expert cyclists ready to meet you and take you on a ride.
Sign up here
Want to get more involved? Volunteer!
We can’t provide our programming or events without the help of CIBA-Bike Indianapolis volunteers. There’s lots of fun ways to help and meet other like-minded cyclists:
Lots more opportunities here!
Want to support cycling in Central Indiana?
Become a Member!
You’ll be joining a group that cares deeply about the issues facing bike riders in our community. CIBA-Bike Indianapolis will leverage your membership dollars to build a stronger bicycling community and engage in initiatives focused on improved infrastructure, education, and riding opportunities that showcase just how wonderful riding a bike in Indianapolis can be. The bigger our membership, the more apparent our message and our needs as bike riders become, and the more likely those needs are to be met by our city governments.
Bike month encourages our community to get excited about biking. We want more people to experience the joys of riding: A crisp morning with the smell of lilac in the air, a wave to a neighbor, a quick ride to the local coffee shop. Biking takes us out of the confines of our car and immerses us in the shared environment. It connects us to our larger world. We hope you take advantage of all the great events happening during the month of May and all year long.
