Local Bicycle Groups & Organizations
Champaign County Bikes is striving to make Champaign County the Most Bicycle-Friendly County in the Midwest. CCB’s vision is to get more people bicycling and walking for more reasons to more places for all.
The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign, IL The Bike Project is a cooperative organization with space, tools and community to repair bikes, share knowledge, hold classes, and advocate for cycling in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.
Prairie Cycle Club is the long time Champaign County area recreational bicycle club. They lead regular bikes rides for all levels, all season long, and organize the annual C-U Across the Prairie supported bike ride.
Wild Card Cycling racing club of Champaign and St Louis – lots of formal and informal riding and training opportunities.
The Illini 4000 for Cancer non-profit organization that holds an annual cross-country bike ride, dedicated to the fight against cancer, the support of those affected by cancer, and the documentation of how cancer impacts the lives of Americans.
C-U Safe Routes To School Project organizes the local Walk / Bike to School Days, bike rodeos, and has helped improve cycling infrastructure and facilities via grant funding. They provide resources related to educating the community on pedestrian and bicycle safety issues as well as some maps for short distance family rides in local parks.
Ride Illinois (formerly the League of Illinois Bicyclists) is very active in educating planners and policy makers, cyclists and the general public about important issues for bicycling and creating bicyclist-friendly communities and facilities. Take the Bike Safety Quiz as a kid, adult cyclist, motorist, or truck driver to learn more about state law and riding or driving safely around bicyclists. List of Ride Illinois webinars including Intro to Mountain Biking, Bike Maintenance, Bike Touring etc.: https://rideillinois.org/events/online-learning/ or posted on Youtube as a playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXG2B0HFAY2vUidQPSS2RQRezia2dbIt7
Kickapoo Mountain Bike Club builds and maintains a range of mountain bike trails and organizes mountain bike races at Kickapoo State Park in nearby Vermillion County.
Champaign-Urbana-Savoy Area Bike Map and Guide
2016 Edition Champaign-Urbana-Savoy Area Route Map (front and back as downloadable pdf files). Routes recommended by bicyclists, the Urbana Bike Master plan, and the Champaign Transportation plan. The Champaign-Urbana Bicycle Route Map is currently out of print.
Front and back views as .jpg files (click on the map below).
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Thanks to our Sponsors: The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, The Cities of Urbana and Champaign, University of Illinois, the Village of Savoy, the Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign, Safe Routes to School, the Park Districts of Urbana and Champaign, the Rec Center of Savoy, the Champaign County Forest Preserve Foundation, the Prairie Cycle Club and our advertisers, Parasol/The IttyBitty Bike Shop, BikeWorks of Urbana, Champaign Cycle, Neutral Cycle, Durst Cycle and Fitness, and Baker’s Bikes!
Illinois Department of Transportation Bike Maps by County in PDF format – download and save to your Smart Phone.
Resources for Riding
Tricks and Tips for biking to work from the Active Transportation Alliance in Chicago.
Online Traffic Skills 101 Course by League of American Bicyclists. Free, online course – check it out and say you’re from Champaign County.
Ride Illinois safe riding resources.
Bike Law Card – a PDF of Illinois state laws pertaining to bicycles.
Other sites with recommendations for safety: National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA) and Bicycling Magazine visibility recommendations.
League of American Bicyclists – national bike advocacy and education association: “THE LEAGUE represents bicyclists in the movement to create safer roads, stronger communities, and a Bicycle Friendly America. Through education, advocacy and promotion, we work to celebrate and preserve the freedom cycling brings to our members everywhere.”
CyclingSavvy – A Cycling Education Program of the Florida Bicycle Association – we have certified instructors here who offer this course. See here for information about CyclingSavvy courses offered in Illinois.
What to do after a crash Know Your Rights
How to Turn Traffic Signals Green While on a Bicycle: Often, placing the bike over the center metallic tar stripe triggers the lights. Placing a metallic pedal above a concentration of the tar stripes can be helpful. For traffic and infrared type cameras, staying behind the stop bar and in the center of the lane seems to be helpful. In Illinois, bicyclists are allowed to proceed as if at a stop sign if after 2 minutes, the detection system fails to trigger.
Bicycle As Pickup Truck by John Gilpin
Many riders regard their bicycles like sports cars. Here I discuss the bicycle as an instrument for working trips, especially the carriage of cargo.
Local riders’ sites
UC Bike Ride has links to local and national resources and information as well as a rider email list.
UIUC Bike & Ped Hazards Photos illustrating campus area hazardous
Urbana-Champaign Cycling Ventures Sue’s thoughts and experiences concerning cycling in the community
Community links
All of the CUMTD buses have bike racks on the front. If the weather turns bad you can find your route and toss your bike on the bus. I like to let the driver know when I am exiting and taking my bike off the bus rack. The bike racks accommodate standard, adult-size bikes. Folded folding bikes can be taken on board.
The City of Champaign (Illinois) uses See Click Fix so that residents can report potholes and other unsafe road conditions. The City of Champaign also has an interactive map of construction projects.
The City of Urbana (Illinois) has a contact page on their website for reporting various issues.