Celebrate Florida Bike Month with cycle-centric events in the Tampa Bay region

Although National Bike Month doesn't take place until May throughout the rest of the country, Floridians like to beat the heat -- so we welcome the perfect spring weather with our own Bike Month every March.

Florida Bike Month kicks into high gear in and around Tampa Bay with a series of events and rides taking place throughout Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. Celebrate cycling culture, public health and the sites and scenes of St. Pete and Tampa with a series of bicycle-centric events throughout the region this month. 

Coast Bike Share Florida Bike Month events:

Coast Bike Share celebrates its recent launches in Tampa and St. Pete with a collection of Florida Bike Month events aimed to get the word out about the ease and benefits of transitioning to two-wheeled transportation around the Bay area using the bike share.

• March 1 - 31: #CoastChallenge: Hop on a Coast Bike Share cycle in Tampa or St. Pete and and take as many trips as you can (lasting at least three minutes) to tally up your ride time throughout the month. The top five riders will be rewarded at the end of the Coast Challenge with Coast Bike Share swag and gifts from Vertical Ventures and Fit2Run at Tampa's International Plaza. While weekly tallies will be posted to Coast’s Twitter and Facebook, members can also follow their own progress via the app or website.
• March 8, 9 a.m.: Coast Commuter Station: Meet up with the Coast Bike Share crew at their pop-up commuter station at 109 2nd St. N, St. Pete, to get advice on commuter cycling and spin the prize wheel.
• March 18, 11 a.m. Coast Bike Share BBQ and Bikes: Meet the Coast Bike Share team at Deuces BBQ in St. Pete for an intro to the bike share program before using a free Coast Bike promo code to rent a bike for a guided ride around St. Pete.

Florida Bike Month rides 

• March 11, 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Ride 4 the Animals 2017: Celebrate and support shelter pets in a charity bike ride that starts and ends at Dunedin's Highlander Park, with the Mutt Madness event. Pre-register online.
• March 14, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. 3rd Annual Blarney Bike Ride Tampa: Pedal your way through St. Patrick's Day on a 10-mile scavenger hunt route while completing challenges and collecting clues and shamrock bracelets exchangeable for raffle tickets and prizes. Need to borrow a bike for the ride? Consider checking one out from Coast Bike Share. 
• March 17, 7:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.: 4th Annual Bike with Temple Terrace Mayor: Join Temple Terrace Mayor Kim Leinbach for bagels and coffee, free bike lights and safety info at the Temple Terrace Recreation Terrace, followed by a ride around Temple Terrace with the Mayor, starting at 8 a.m. 
• March 23, 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.: Urban Restaurant Tour Tampa: Meet up at Ferg's Live at 5:30 p.m. for front and back light checks before hitting the road for a tasty tour on two wheels. The Urban Restaurant Tour hits up Tampa Bay Brewing Company, Sushi House by Kazoku Sushi and Tre Amici at the Bunker before returning to Ferg's Live. Visit Florida Bike Tours for tickets and upcoming event dates and locations for this recurring ride.
• March 25, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m: 8th Annual Cycling for Autism: Depart from Whiskey Joe's to bike the Courtney Campbell Causeway Bike Trail for 40, 20, 12 or 6-mile rides for cyclists of all ages and fitness levels. A $30 rider fee supports the Applied Behavior Analysis Program and the Learning Academy at USF.
• March 25, 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.: SHINE St. Petersburg Mural Bike Tours: Join the official bike tour of the SHINE Festival for a colorful ride that highlights St. Pete's murals and street art. Can't make the March ride? Tours are also scheduled for April 23 and May 21, departing at 10 a.m. from the St. Pete Bike Co-op. Get tickets at Shine On St. Pete.

Recurring rides in Hillsborough: 

• Caboose Club: Caboose Club departs from Oliver's Cycle Sports and takes its time in leisurely 8-12 mph rides around Flatwoods Park on cruisers, mountain bikes and hybrids. 
• History Bike Tampa: History Bike Tampa tours are a unique way to explore the city of Tampa. Donation-based monthly rides highlight different neighborhoods throughout Tampa, providing a history-based focus on each region. Past tour themes have included mafia, cigar and Cuban revolutionary stories in Ybor; a history of public education featuring Tampa's first schools, the historic Harlem School, and desegregation; a Tampa history of women's activism, Tampa's military and Civil War histories, prehistoric sites in downtown Tampa, and 'Weird Tampa'. 
• Performance Great Ride Series: Tampa: Performance Great Ride Series offers a series of weekly rides for varying levels of cyclist comfort, including beginner and intermediate rides on Saturday mornings.
• The Tampa Bicycling Meetup: The Tampa Bicycling Meetup meets every Wednesday evening for "Night Lights" rides along Courtney Campbell Causeway. 
• Tampa Bike Tours: Tampa Bike Tours offer a variety of ways to experience Tampa on two wheels, including the City Showcase Bike Tour, the Brew Loop Tour, and the Historic Ybor City Bike Tour.

Recurring club rides in Pinellas: 

• Chainwheel Drive: Chainwheel Drive store locations in Clearwater and Palm Harbor feature a series of weekly rides and training, including 25, 35, 45-mile Suncoast Cycling Club rides, Swamp Mountain Bike Club rides, and 10-12 mile rides on the Ream Wilson Trail. 
• PedalPub St. Petersburg: PedalPub St. Petersburg relies on the pedal power of friends and craft beer. Groups of 6-16 adults can hop on and power the Dutch-made bike, piloted by a sober guide, while making stops at up to three local breweries in a 2-hour tour of the city.
• Shift St. Pete: Shift St. Pete, a membership-based nonprofit focused on nurturing a connected St. Pete for bicyclists and pedestrians, stays active year-round in the Pinellas bike scene. Stay tuned in to the event calendar for info on rides like the annual Tweed Ride, Winter Wonderlight Ride, "Block-by-Block" family-friendly rides through St. Pete neighborhoods, and more. 
• St. Petersburg Bicycle Club: The St. Petersburg Bicycle Club offers weekly group rides on Saturday mornings, as well as a series of regular events throughout the year.

Know of a bike group or other fun cycling events in the Tampa Bay area that we may have overlooked? Squeaky bike chains get the grease, so tell us in the Facebook comments below!