Six Ways YOU Can Build the Bike Travel Movement in 2016

April 18, 2016

Thousands of people all over the country — and the world — have already registered trips for National Bike Travel Weekend, June 3–5, and Bike Your Park Day on September 24 to celebrate Adventure Cycling’s 40^th anniversary and the biggest year of bike travel since 1976.

 

5,131 people have registered for National Bike Travel Weekend

 

3,325 people have registered for Bike Your Park Day

 

These “do-it-yourself” events are all about building the bike travel community by introducing the joy of travel by bike to people who haven’t yet experienced it.

But we need your help spreading the word to your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, schoolmates, bike clubs, mail carriers, baristas ... you get the point. Now’s your chance to help someone who has a taste for adventure take the next step and go on a #bikeovernight or #bikeyourpark.

If you haven’t registered your own trip yet, make sure to do that first!

1. Share your ride on social media.

You’ve registered an awesome bike overnight or #bikeyourpark ride — now share it! Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest … you know the drill. Post photos, use the event hashtags, and help inspire someone to join the ride.

For National Bike Travel Weekend social media resources, check out Share Your Bike Overnight.

For Bike Your Park Day social media resources, check out Share Your Ride.

These pages have all the resources you need to promote your ride including:

• Event logos

• Website urls: biketravelweekend.org and bikeyourparkday.org

• Hashtags: #biketravelweekend and #bikeyourpark

• Social media images

• Social media messaging

• Event Facebook pages

Encourage your friends and followers to register or join a trip on the Find A Bike Overnight or Find A Ride pages. And an extra incentive: anyone who registers is automatically entered to win a Salsa Marrakesh touring bicycle.

2. Create a Facebook event page.

Creating a Facebook event page for your trip is a great way to invite people to join you, track RSVPs, build excitement, and keep all participants informed. Also, be sure to connect with Adventure Cycling’s National Bike Travel Weekend and Bike Your Park Day Facebook pages to unite with people all over the world who are participating in these events. 

3. Share on your website or newsletter.

Are you a member of a cycling club, bicycle advocacy organization, park, public land group, or other organization or business that could incorporate National Bike Travel Weekend and Bike Your Park Day into their programming or promotion? Use the sample National Bike Travel Weekend (zip file) or Bike Your Park Day (zip file) newsletter, articles, press releases for your organization email newsletter, print newsletter or website. Include the event logos and images and if your organization is organizing a public trip, send a press release to your local media to garner community interest.

4. Send out an old-fashioned email.

If email is your preferred method of communication, that works fine too. Use the sample National Bike Travel Weekend (zip file) or Bike Your Park Day (zip file) newsletter articles/press releases to draft an energetic email about your upcoming adventure or general information to inspire others.

5. Hang up posters and hand out stickers.

Contact us and we’ll mail you National Bike Travel Weekend and Bike Your Park Day stickers to share. Drop them off at businesses and organizations like bike shops, bike clubs, outdoor recreation stores, and community centers. Download a printable National Bike Travel Weekend (jpg file) or Bike Your Park Day (jpg file) poster to hang up in visible locations as well.
 

6. Wear it. 

Now you can purchase virtually anything with the logos for both events. Check out the products in the National Bike Travel Weekend store and Bike Your Park Day store on Zazzle.com.

 

 

Find all of these resources on the National Bike Travel Weekend Share Your Bike Overnight and Bike Your Park Day Share Your Ride pages. Thanks for being part of Adventure Cycling’s 40^th anniversary by helping inspire people all over the world to travel by bicycle.

By Saara Snow & Eva Dunn-Froebig.

Top graphic (clockwise from left): photos by Tom Robertson, Adam Coppola, and Travel Oregon.

Photo 2 by Tom Robertson.

Instagram photos (clockwise from left): photos by Blue Ridge Revolutions, Travel Oregon, Steve Powell, and Adam Coppola. 

Facebook event photo and share National Bike Travel Weekend photo by Tom Robertson.

Email header (clockwise from left): photos by Matt Wild, Lassen Volcanic National Park; Tom Robertson, and Saara Snow.

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