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Do you know that May is National Bike Month? Closer to home, May 12-20 is Bay State Bike Week. In fact, Massachusetts is the only state in the nation with a statewide bike week (every May), during which residents and bike commuters come together to celebrate human-powered, two-wheeled transportation and organize bicycling events to encourage new riders and raise awareness about bicycle transportation. Falmouth has two organized opportunities to celebrate and explore bicycling. The Falmouth Bikeways Committee is organizing Bike to Work (and for Fun) Day on Tuesday, May 15 (rain date, Wednesday, May 16) from 7:00 A.M. – 9:00 A.M. Members will staff a refreshment and monitoring station at the spot where the Shining Sea Bikeway crosses Surf Drive between Elm and Oyster Pond Roads. Whether you are a regular bicycle commuter, a sometimes commuter, a bicycle commuter wannabe, or a recreational rider, the committee encourages you to get out on your bike on May 15 and stop by the station. Riders can enjoy coffee, baked goods, and fruit generously donated by Pie in the Sky, Cape Cod Bagel, and Jack in the Beanstalk. There will be information about bicycle safety and planning in Falmouth, as well as raffle prizes from Art’s Bike Shop, Corner Cycle, and Bike Zone. Stop by for breakfast, share your thoughts with members of the Bikeways Committee, and help us to count the number of people bicycling to work. If you would like to bicycle to work but do not because of infrastructure challenges, let us know by writing to us. To everyone in Falmouth, we suggest that you consider what our town would look and feel like if everyone who wants to bicycle to work or for transportation could do so safely. A second event marking Bay State Bike Week is a women’s bicycle ride on Saturday, May 19, departing Old Dock Road in West Falmouth at 1:30 P.M. This gentle ride down the Shining Sea Bike Path will take us down to Woods Hole for a refreshment stop at the Water Street park (bring or purchase a snack), followed by a return ride. Riders may join at any point along the path. This inclusive women’s ride is part of CycloFemme, a global celebration of women created to bring women together. These self-led bike rides around the globe unite riders, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or bicycle preference. Any ride length, type, and size counts, whether two friends, a team or a parade. Participants share an experience outdoors in our communities. We feel our literal strength. We lift, push and propel one another. And along the way, we discover—or rediscover— the joy in riding a bike. While the national date for CycloFemme rides is the Sunday of Mother’s Day, Falmouth women will get outdoors together on their bikes on the following Saturday. Learn more about CycloFemme at cyclofemme.com. Bike Week is a chance to recharge your commitment to bicycle riding, safety, and enjoyment for yourself and for all, on Falmouth’s roads, bike paths, and woodland trails. For information about these events, contact the Falmouth Bikeways committee at bikeways@falmouthmass.us or at its Facebook page. You can also join our email list for flash news about events by writing to us at falmouthbikewayscomm@gmail.com.