Saturday: Celebrate Bike Inclusion Day with Outdoors for All at Magnuson Park

Bike Inclusion Day is Saturday (May 17), and Outdoors for All is celebrating with a day of adaptive cycling, group rides and games from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Magnuson Park.

If you for any reason cannot (or find it difficult to) ride a standard bicycle, Outdoors for All has got you covered. Whether you have a lifelong disability or are recovering from an injury, they can help you find an adaptive cycle from their ever-evolving fleet that will work for you. You can even check one out for free from their Magnuson Park (May 1 - Oct. 19) or Lake Sammamish (April 17 - Sept. 30) locations if you are renting and returning the same day. The free rentals are funded in part by a partnership with SDOT, which invests some of the city's bike and scooter share permitting fees into this adaptive bike share program.

Adaptive cycling is a very broad term that covers a wide variety of use cases. There are handcycles for folks lacking leg mobility. There are a variety of different styles of tandem bikes for people to ride with caregivers. There are trikes to help folks with balance. They also have friendly and helpful staff members and volunteers who can help figure out a good solution for each person.

I spoke with Emily Coulter, Cycling Program Manager for the Outdoors for All Adaptive Cycling Center, at the Redmond light rail opening party over the weekend, and she stressed that their bikes are also there for anyone who is recovering from an injury or other medical issue that is keeping them off their bikes temporarily. There's no disability qualifying process or anything, you just show up and they'll help you ride.

Outdoors for All is also a great resource for anyone looking to buy an adaptive cycle. You can try out different options, and they'll even help you figure out sizing before you order one. These bikes are very custom and, therefore, can be expensive, so you want to make sure you're ordering something that feels good and that you'll enjoy.

In addition to the free same-day bike rentals, Outdoors for All offers several paid classes folks who want to learn to ride or are ready for more advanced activities like adaptive mountain biking and gravel riding. Definitely seek out their financial aid if price is a barrier.

Folks who love all this and want to help out should check out their many volunteer opportunities.