From Bike Month to the fall line: bike walk rva had some big wins this fall

Bike Walk RVA celebrates major advocacy wins and bike month successes

The past quarter has been full of excitement for Bike Walk RVA. From a successful slate of spring programs and engagement to a celebratory start to autumn, 2025 has been a stunner. 

In the spring we launched our 12^th running of Bike Walk Academy and welcomed 17 new Champions into the fold. We were thrilled to celebrate their graduation from the program at Sports Backers’ new homebase at the Lakeside Active Living Hub. 

April ushered in a tidal wave of activism from our network of supporters. We put out a call to action for attendance at Richmond’s Bryan Park Fall Line Meeting and saw more than 200 engaged citizens turn out to voice their support. 

Bike Month 2025 saw a robust 71 events on the calendar – 21 of which were new events – and more than 5,700 participants. Our program theme and graphic, “Where the Bike Lane Ends” was a crowd favorite with Bike Month event leaders. 

Advocacy, additional events, and fall line victories

In June we convened our first meeting of the newly established Fall Line Placemaking Collaborative. Twenty-three local organizations whose work is physically or topically adjacent to the Fall Line joined us in two sessions. Through educational presentations, mapping activities, breakout groups, and round table discussions we parsed out key focus points for our continued advocacy for placemaking along the Fall Line trail corridor.  We plan to continue the Fall Line Placemaking Collaborative (FLPC) as a quarterly discussion forum, with our next meeting planned in November. 

In July we visited Roanoke to spectate at USA Cycling’s National Mountainbike Championships and find inspiration from the town’s networks of greenways and bike lanes.  

We also hosted a quarterly Friends of Fall Line meeting to share updates on the trail’s funding status, construction progress in Ashland, and the awarding of the contract for the DB2 section between Chester and Petersburg.  

In partnership with VDH, we presented a Vision Zero Scorecard update at the quarterly July meeting of Richmond’s Safe and Healthy Streets Commission.  

In September we had the pleasure of supporting Henrico County Recreation and Parks’ HenBikeO events: an evening youth bike safety workshop and larger bike festival at Crump Park. We tabled at Richmond’s RVA Builds event to spread the word about our newest edition of the RVA Bike Map.  

The Fall Line Ribbon Cutting on September 24 was a joyous day for everyone at Sports Backers and in the region. In opening the northernmost 5 miles of trail between Ashland and Henrico, we launched into a new chapter of recreation and active transportation opportunities.  

rva bike awards

We carried on the celebratory spirit from the Ribbon Cutting into the next evening with a party – the 2025 RVA Bike Awards. Amongst a star-studded crew of Bike Month event organizers, local advocates and Bike Walk Champions, we awarded “Best Infrastructure Project” to officials from Ashland, Hanover, Henrico, and VDOT for their work on the Fall Line trail. Also among the winners were the Manchester Alliance’s Janet Woodka for her work on the Mayo Bridge, and a surprise award for Sports Backer’s graphic designer Dion Ellis for his outstanding Bike Month design work. In all we awarded 11 recipients’ hand-made, metal, found-object trophies constructed by local artist Keith Ramsey – a FLPC member and leader of Richmond Monday night chill ride, Bike Monday Bros. 

As we head into the final months of the year, Bike Walk RVA is energized by the momentum built across an incredible spring and summer. From expanding our network of Champions to celebrating major milestones for the Fall Line trail, each achievement reflects the growing strength of our community and the shared vision of a more connected, bikeable, and walkable region. With exciting collaborations and advocacy efforts already on the horizon, we’re ready to keep the wheels turning into 2026 and beyond.