Eugene kicks off Bike Month with rides, workshops, family events

A free Bike Month T-shirt, a stamped passport and a room full of riders set the tone at Oakshire Public House on April 30, when Eugene opened a monthlong run of rides, workshops and family events aimed at getting more people onto bikes for errands, commuting and weekend outings.

The 2026 schedule includes free community rides, bike repair pop-ups, bike-up discounts at local businesses and bike valet parking at events. Organizers say the lineup is built for people who already ride every day and for those trying it for the first time, with events designed to make biking feel practical rather than specialized.

One of the clearest draws is the Bike Month Passport, which returns with new birds-on-bikes artwork by Eugene artist Erick Wonderly Varela. Passports are available at Eugene bike shops, the Eugene and Springfield libraries, and select events throughout May, including the Oakshire kickoff, Eugene First Friday ArtWalk, the Springfield kickoff, the University of Oregon ASUO Street Fair and Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA. Riders collect stickers along the way, turning the month into a low-cost scavenger hunt that also points people toward local shops and community gatherings.

The city and regional partners have treated Bike Month as a long-running civic project, not a one-off promotion. Lane County has celebrated Bike Month since 2014, the City of Eugene became the lead organizer in 2016, and Lane Council of Governments took over that role in 2022. This year marks the 13th year of Bike Month celebrations in Lane County.

The practical case for biking is reinforced by Eugene’s own transportation network. City proclamation materials cite 64 miles of shared-use paths, 220 miles of on-street bicycle lanes, 8.3 miles of protected bike lanes and 70 miles of signed bikeways and neighborhood greenways, along with multiple bicycle-pedestrian bridges. For residents weighing a quick trip across town, those routes make biking a real alternative for short commutes, school drop-offs and store runs.

For people without a bicycle, Eugene points to PeaceHealth Rides bike share as a ready option. That keeps Bike Month from being limited to owners and regular cyclists, especially as the calendar adds family-friendly stops like Healthy Kids Day and community events across Eugene and Springfield. In a region that has spent years building bike infrastructure, May’s appeal is simple: it is a free way to save money, move differently and let kids see the city from the saddle.