Madison County Transit celebrates National Bike Month
By Devese “Dee” Ursery
MADISON COUNTY — May is National Bike Month and Madison County Transit kicked off the season with a variety of family-friendly activities celebrating the event.
Throughout the month of May MCT will introduce a new activity book, a Trail Critter Challenge, as well as host Trail Adventures After School and attend community events. These activities help promote the advantages of bike riding and the usage of the 138 miles of Madison County trails, according to MCT Marketing Coordinator, Ellie Cone.
MCT is committed to promoting safe outdoor recreation and healthy lifestyles, and it shows in their efforts to improve and expand on the extensive network of scenic bikeways available in Madison County.
“We have been celebrating National Bike Month since 2020 and we’ve ramped up the celebrations each year with more community events than ever this year,” Cone said.
“This year’s Critter Challenge introduces missions focused on the new MCT Trail Critters, encouraging participants to engage both at home and on the trails via the GooseChase app.”
The Trail Critters Adventure Books is a new activity that MCT produced this year for the event. The small activity books are inspired by the “Trail Critters” art collection found on the MCT Trails. The book is full of activities for all ages, including coloring sheets, critter profiles, and more. MCT has also recently installed plaques at the base of each Trail Critter with a raised outline. The new Adventure Books provide blank pages for adventurous trail goers to place over the raised outlines and make a pencil or crayon rubbing of each Trail Critter.
There is a limited amount of books available, those interested can pick them up at several locations throughout the county, including libraries and local businesses, or by attending an MCT Trails event. Visit mcttrails.org/calendar for a complete list of locations.
Different activities are scheduled for various days throughout the month, including MCT Trail Adventures After School and community events at different MCT Trails-friendly locations. The League of American Bicyclists also has set days we like to promote such as Ride a Bike Day, and Bike to Work Week.
This year’s Critter Challenge introduces missions focused on the new MCT Trail Critters, encouraging participants to engage both at home and on the trails via the GooseChase app.
Building on the success of previous scavenger hunts, MCT is once again facilitating an interactive challenge through the “GooseChase” app. These missions for this year’s challenge are focused on the new MCT Trail Critters and include a mix of activities you can complete at home, and challenges that will take you to the MCT Trails. Individuals who complete all of the missions before the Challenge ends on May 31 will be entered to win MCT Trails-themed prizes.
For individuals interested in participating,they must download the free GooseChase app and search for the “MCT Trails GooseChase Trail Critters Challenge” or the game code “LP9V8L,” and join the game as a guest or create a free account. After that obtain an MCT Trails “Trail Critters Adventure Book”. Complete all of the missions correctly by 8 p.m. on May 31 to be entered to win a variety of prizes!
The missions go live May 1 at 8 a.m. and participants have until 8 p.m. on May 31, 2024 to complete them. Trail Adventures After School will take place at different MCT locations throughout the month.
The first event was last week on Thursday, May 2, at MCT Leclaire Park & Ride in Edwardsville from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. The next Trail Adventures After School would be on Thursday, May 9 at Drost Park in Maryville from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. On Saturday, May 18, the event will be at REC Fest in Alton from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The Trail Adventures After School will be in Collinsville on Thursday, May 23 at the MERPD Park & Ride, in Collinsville.
Troy being the last MCT location to have the Trail Adventures After School event will be at Tri-Township Park, in Troy from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 30.
“One important aspect to note is the end of Bike Month celebration on May 30 at Tri-Township Park, co-hosted with Jarvis Township, featuring helmet fittings and family-friendly activities,” Cone said. “Individuals interested in participating in National Bike Month activities can find more information on the MCT Trails website or contact MCT Trails via phone or email.”
