As the weather is warming up in Aurora, it’s the perfect time to Get Back on Your Bike!
The Aurora Public Library District (APLD) at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 13 will hold a virtual bicycling tip and information session with Ride Illinois.
The program will address subjects such as the benefits of cycling, safety, laws, comfort, routes, riding for recreation and transportation. Get Back on Your Bike! is geared towards all ages and abilities, including if you’re new to biking! Please note that registration is required.
Ride Illinois is a nonprofit organization making Illinois better through biking. The organization sponsors bike events, provides education about biking, and is an advocate for legislation such as bike-friendly infrastructure. Ride Illinois has numerous chapters and opportunities for Illinoisans to get involved with their mission.
That’s something Ride Illinois shares in common with APLD, and one of the reasons APLD is excited to be host to the organization. “Like the library, they are community-focused,” Collin Benson, APLD adult services assistant and avid cyclist said. APLD offers a great lineup of weekly programming that engages the Aurora community, and many of these programs are designed to align with APLD’s vision of helping Aurora [Come] Together To Discover, Create, Connect, and Succeed.
Through the program, customers will discover biking routes Benson recommends the Virgil L. Gilman and Fox River Trails. They’ll learn to create routes and connect with other cyclists. But how does a program like this help a community succeed?
When thinking of success and the ways libraries help their communities, people often think of reading literacy. Although it’s true that libraries have a tremendous impact on reading literacy, they promote health and fitness literacy, too. Benson said it’s just as important to help develop the latter “so our community can possess the knowledge and skills to engage in health-enhancing activities for life.”
So, for a fun way to discover, create, connect, and succeed, be sure to join APLD next week and Get Back on Your Bike!
“This [is] a great program to kick off Spring, and to encourage people to get active,” Benson said enthusiastically. “It’s one you won’t want to miss!”
After you register for the Zoom event, be sure to check out 796.6 in the non-fiction shelves to find APLD’s collection of cycling books. Visit Ride Illinois for great biking maps, resources, and upcoming events.
Jazzeline Celindro is the communications coordinator for the Aurora Public Library District.