Month: September 2026

Fall officially shows up on Tuesday. The sun is setting before 7 now, so if your lights have been living in a drawer since April, this is the week to charge them up. And yeah, it’s chill-lay. The calendar hasn’t gotten the memo about slowing down, though. Four rides, a social hour, and a public meeting about a new path on the west side, all in one week. And next week is even bigger!

First, an important reminder:

Ride for Your Life Madison is Sunday, October 4

Ride for Your Life Madison is Sunday, October 4, which is two Sundays out (free registration). This means now is the time to get it on the calendar. The ride remembers Sasha Rosen, a 17-year-old killed by a speeding driver while crossing the street, and it doubles as a push for safer streets across the state. From the organizers:

Sasha Rosen was 17 — goofy, music-loving, a kid who argued politics and beat his friends at video games — when a speeding driver killed him crossing the street. That’s not an accident. That’s a policy failure, and it demands answers.

Riders and walkers will head out from Brittingham Park alongside state and local officials and finish with a rally at the State Capitol. Check-in starts at 1pm, the event starts at 2pm. The main ask this year is Sasha’s Bill (AB 655 / SB 659), which would let judges require GPS-enabled intelligent speed devices in the vehicles of drivers convicted of reckless driving or repeated or extreme speeding. Speeding causes more than a third of all roadway deaths, per the Bike Fed. They’re also looking for volunteers before, during, and after the event, since the advocacy keeps going once the rally is over.

This Week

On Tuesday at 5 PM, head to Transit Oriented Drinks at One Social Food Hall (123 E Wilson St), the monthly social hour for anyone who’d like a city that’s easier to get around without a car. This month’s topic is how to be an effective advocate, which is convenient, since there’s a public meeting two days later where you can practice. It wraps up around 6:30.

Also on Tuesday at 6 PM, the Madison Women’s Cycling Club has a ride. Meeting spot and route details get posted on their Instagram, so check there before you head out.

On Wednesday at 6 PM, roll over to Motorless Motion (640 W Washington Ave) for the Wednesday Night Taco Ride. Meet at the shop at 6, roll out around 6:15, casual pace, 6-8 miles, and there are tacos involved, as advertised. These run May through October, so you have only a handful of Wednesdays left before the ride goes into hibernation.

On Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, attend the Public Information Meeting and Open House for the Odana Hills Golf Course renovations at the Odana Hills Clubhouse (4635 Odana Rd). So, yes, a golf course meeting. Stick with us. Here are the details to far from the city:

The City of Madison is planning to construct a shared-use path, with lighting, along the south side of Odana Road from Wedgewood Way to Charles Lane. The proposed off-street asphalt shared-use path will replace the existing eastbound parking/bike lane, resulting in a narrowed roadway and a terrace between the new curb alignment and the shared-use path. Along with the new curb, there will be partial asphalt replacement on Odana Road as well as storm sewer work. The design team is also proposing new medians to facilitate pedestrian crossings at Orchard Drive and Hilltop Drive, as well as improvements to the existing median at Charles Lane. The first alternative restricts left turn movements in and out of Charles Lane, reducing bike/ped/vehicular conflicts by utilization of a new median. The second alternative allows left turn movements. Both alternatives remove the existing left turn lanes at Charles Lane to allow for a wider refuge island and utilize Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons at Charles Lane to enhance safety at the crossing.

To be honest, it’s probably something best described with a diagram (which the site lacks at the moment). Of particular interest will be whether the on-street, westbound bike lane survives (if you parse the language, I think it does) and how cyclist and pedestrian traffic to/from Charles Lane will change.

On Saturday from 2 to 4 PM, join Friends of Lake Wingra for the Lake Wingra Community Bike Ride, starting at the Vilas Park Shelter (1602 Vilas Park Dr). The idea is to get out and explore the lake by bike or on foot on (up to) a 6.5 mile loop. Register early to make reserve your T-shirt order. Madison Bikes will have a table there from 1:30 to 2:30, so swing by early and say hi.

Sunday is a doubleheader and if you manage to do both, kudos! Starting bright and early at 6 AM, the Badger Challenge rolls out from UW Health Eastpark Medical Center (4621 Eastpark Blvd). It’s the big walk/run/bike fundraiser for cancer research at UW, and 100% of what participants raise stays with UW researchers. They’ve raised over $5.5 million through last year’s campaign. Distances run from 3 miles all the way up to 100, so there’s a version of this for whatever shape your legs are in. Online registration stays open right up until the start time of each individual event on Sunday, September 27, though the deadline to guarantee your finisher shirt size and medal passed back in August. Not up for riding? They also need volunteers.

Finally, later on Sunday from 10 AM to 1 PM, check out the Hispanic Heritage Ride at Penn Park (2101 Fisher St). It’s a casual, no-drop cruise with a 4-mile and a 10-mile option, so bring the family. Start and finish are both at Penn Park, with family-friendly activities there. Helmets are required, and lights and water are a good idea. Grab a free reg on Eventbrite. Hispanic Heritage Month runs through October 15, and a Sunday morning ride out of Penn Park is a fine way to mark it. Hosted by Trek Madison – West.

Next Week

The Bicycle Film Festival is back on Thursday, October 1, returning to the Barrymore Theatre. It’s a curated program of international shorts — documentaries, narratives, animation, award-winning directors and people you haven’t heard of yet, all sharing the billing. Brendt Barbur started the thing in 2001 after a bus hit him while he was riding in New York City, and 26 years later it’s played to more than a million people in over 100 cities, from Paris and Tokyo to Mexico City, Istanbul, and Cape Town. And now Atwood Ave.

Here’s how the night goes: there’s a pre-party at 4 PM at Starkweather Brewing Company, then the box office opens at 5:00, doors at 5:30, and films start at 6:30. Advance tickets are $20 through Barrymore Live, or $25 day-of. You can buy online for will-call pickup, by phone, or fee free at the box office the day of the show. Bring a friend who doesn’t think of themselves as a bike person yet.

One more reminder that applications to join the Madison Bikes board of directors are due Friday, October 2. If you’ve been reading these newsletters and thinking you’d like to get more involved, this is one way to do it.

If you’re biking through the north side next week, Aberg Ave will be closing from September 28 through October 2 for a RR crossing rebuild. Here’s the city’s suggested detour (ymmv):

Save the date

And looking even farther ahead, the Winter Bike Fashion Show (2025 link) will return on Sunday, November 15 at the Goodman Community Center. I don’t know, maybe I’m jumping the gun on the announce but we’re rolling today. Admission is always free and it’s the same idea as last year, which is to say part runway show, part gear clinic, part pep talk for anyone on the fence about riding through a Wisconsin winter. Fully fun! Models show off what they actually wear out there, from the head-to-toe technical setups to the “I just put a wool sweater over it” school of thought. Think about how you’d like to participate and expect to see call-outs for models.

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.

Thanks to our sponsors who make our events possible!