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League of American Bicyclists

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

Cyclists from the early 1900s posing near a statue in Forest Park during a bicycle tour.

The League of American Bicyclists, also called LAB, is a group that helps people enjoy riding bikes. It started as a way to bring together people who love cycling for fun, staying healthy, and getting around without cars. The League works to make biking safer and more fun for everyone.

As a nonprofit group, the League has many members across the United States. They teach people how to ride bikes better and work with leaders to create places where biking is easy and safe. Whether you ride for sport, exercise, or just to explore, the League of American Bicyclists supports cyclists of all ages and skill levels.

History

The League of American Bicyclists started in Newport, Rhode Island on May 30, 1880. It was created by Kirk Munroe and Charles E. Pratt and quickly became the main group for cyclists in the United States. Charles E. Pratt was the first president, and the group aimed to help cyclists and improve roads.

A memorial in Newport's Touro Park commemorates the centennial of the League's founding.

In the late 1800s, the League helped make roads better for everyone, long before cars were common. They even started a magazine called Good Roads. The group grew very popular, reaching over 100,000 members by 1898. However, as cars became more common and interest in cycling changed, the League’s membership dropped, and it dissolved in 1902.

The League came back in 1965, focusing on helping people enjoy cycling and promoting bike-friendly communities. Today, it works to support cyclists and make roads safer for bikes across the country.

Advocacy

The League of American Bicyclists works to help cyclists at the national level. They host an annual event called the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C., where professionals and advocates meet with government leaders. This event usually draws around 500 participants.

The League partners with other groups, such as America Bikes, the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NCUTCD and NCUTLO, to support making America more friendly for people who ride bicycles.

Education

The League helps people learn about cycling through classes for both adults and kids all over the United States. It started with one long class called "Effective Cycling" created by John Forester in 1976. Later, they made shorter classes because fewer people were joining the long one. The program was called "Bike Ed" and later changed its name to "Smart Cycling" in 2008.

The League also holds a conference for leaders in bike education every two years and works on programs to make it safer for kids to bike to school nationwide.

Main article: Effective Cycling

Bicycle-friendly communities

The League of American Bicyclists has recognized 450 communities across all 50 states as great places for biking. These communities provide safe places and facilities for people who ride bikes and encourage everyone to bike for fun or getting around.

Diamond-level

  • No Diamond-level communities.

Platinum-level - 5 Communities

Gold-level - 33 Communities

Silver-level - 90 Communities

Bronze-level - 324 Communities

Bronze-level, continued

Bicycle-friendly universities

As of 2023, the League of American Bicyclists has recognized 221 universities for making their campuses more friendly for bicycles. These schools support students, staff, and visitors who ride bikes.

The schools are split into different levels based on how friendly they are to cyclists:

Platinum-level - 9 Schools

Gold-level - 31 Schools

Silver-level - 68 Schools

Bronze-level - 114 Schools

Bronze-level, continued

Honorable mentions

Images

Vintage cycling race from 1887 featuring participants on Penny Farthing bicycles at Harvard University.
A vintage 1897 advertisement showing horse bibs from a cycling magazine.

Related articles

Washington, D.C.
United States
Rochester, New York
Boulder, Colorado
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Ann Arbor, Michigan

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