That wind!
This Week
On Monday, the paid membership portion of the downtown Madison Bicycle Center, managed by Freewheel, will be opening for the first time. Members can access bike storage, showers, lockers, changing rooms, and other core MBC amenities 24/7/365. If you work downtown, you should definitely give it a look-see. The facility and services are still available M-F from 9am-6pm for everyone and the semi-enclosed/well-lit bike parking is available 24/7 for everyone too!
On Wednesday at 10am there will be a Zoom event titled Advocating for Clean Transportation in Wisconsin. Speakers/panelists include representatives from the Bike Fed, WisDOT, City of the Green Bay, City of Madison and Greater Madison MPO. Free registration.
Due to a terrible weather forecast, the Saturday bike wash event has been cancelled. We’ll post when a new date is scheduled!
On Saturday from 1pm-4pm-??, come on down to the Madison Bikes Spring Bike Wash & Safety Checks event! It’ll take place right next to Brittingham Park on Clark Ct and there will be signage to help you find us.
Have you been riding all winter and still have a thick salt crust on your bike? Did you just get back on the bike for the season and your ride sounds a little creaky? Bought a used bike and want to make sure it’s safe? Either way, join us for our Bike Wash on April 30. We’ll have cleaning supplies, tools, lube, and volunteers from Madison Bikes, Dream Bikes, and Wheels for Winners on site who can check your bike for basic safety.
Even if your bike’s already sparklingly clean, stop on by to socialize and chat about bikes and bike advocacy. After the event, the party will continue as an informal community meeting where we’ll discuss all things Madison Bikes including Bike Week 2022!
You might be interested in reading some national coverage of the rising rates of pedestrian and cycling deaths in this opinion piece from the New York Times.
Finally, a Madison icon is retiring (maybe paywalled, sorry about that). Crazy “TV” Lenny, or now Crazy “Bike” Lenny is wrapping up his career (at least until whatever he does next). You may also remember the “Firenze” 10-speed road bikes from the 80’s that often came free with any sizeable purchase of furniture or electronics. His most recent venture, the bike shop that specializes in E-Bikes on Odana Road, will remain open under new local ownership.
Construction and Closures
Starting Monday, Old Middleton Road will be largely closed from it’s eastern terminus at Eau Claire Ave to Old Sauk Rd for the entire season. Once school is out for the year, it will close even further west from Old Sauk Rd to Capital Ave. Technically, one travel lane westbound only will remain open throughout, but that will probably not be a great biking option so best get used to your alternatives such as the University Ave path and/or winding through the hills south and west of Owen Park (h/t Harald).
Maybe it would help to join the collective kvetch in the discussion on our facebook group? The good news is that once the project is completed, we should have a smooth surface and a bike lane in both directions for the entire length of the project.
The brand-new pump track at Aldo Leopold Park will be closed until July (again with the paywall) to install a new skills track around the pump track and to allow the grass to grow in. It will surely be worth the wait!
Finally, it’s worth mentioning the list of highway projects that Dane County has started or are in the works for this summer/fall construction season.
Upcoming
Bike Week in Wisconsin is June 5-11. The event calendar isn’t available yet, but if you want to run an event you can register it here.
Can you believe we’re almost to May? Bike Month will be all month, as declared by The League.
As always, you can find an overview of all bike events on our Community Bike Calendar. Email us at info@madisonbikes.org to add your events. And if you value our newsletter and other work, consider donating to Madison Bikes. For construction updates, check out the city’s Bike Madison page.