The 2023 Miami Valley Cycling Summit is hosted by Bike Miami Valley and the City of Dayton. This regional event will be held at the Downtown Dayton branch of the Dayton Metro Library on May 19th from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The event welcomes elected officials, government staff, local leaders and cycling advocates to participate. This year’s event will coincide with the annual Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast celebration (7-9am), which is organized by Five Rivers MetroParks at RiverScape MetroPark every third Friday in May.
History of the Cycling Summit
In 2009 and 2011, the Miami Valley Cycling Summit provided an opportunity to bring all elements of the movement together in a collective fashion. In doing so, we were able to take away a more cohesive strategy with similar goals and actions, and, in turn, initiate the re-conception of a regional grassroots cycling advocacy group (Bike Miami Valley).
In 2011, the Miami Valley Cycling Summit brought together over 300 cycling enthusiasts, representing 12 cities, 40 area organizations and hundreds of cycling supporters.
In 2013, the Miami Valley Cycling Summit attracted nearly 400 participants to Clark State University in Springfield. National experts detailed how cycling can connect numerous aspects of our community, region, and nation in the Cycling Connects feature presentation. The Bike Springfield chapter emerged as the first chapter of Bike Miami Valley from the Cycling Summit, also the Bike Share Feasibility study was introduced, which lead to the Link Dayton Bike Share program.
In 2015, the keynote speaker, Mayor Bill Peduto inspired attendees with the story of Pittsburgh’s transformation of its streets into a city-wide bicycle network. The host community, the City of Piqua, installed bike racks throughout the downtown community as their legacy project. The founder of the Cycling Summit, Andy Williamson was recognized as Bike Miami Valley’s advocate of the year.
In 2017, Greene County Parks and Trails led a coalition of communities in Greene County to plan the summit. Wright State University lent an amazing venue and was the recipient of the legacy project dollars raised at the Summit to go toward a bicycle library. The 2017 keynote speaker was Aparna Dial of Smart Columbus. Ohio Bicycle Federation was recognized as the group advocate of the year for their work on the three foot passing law. Bob Shook was recognized post-mortem for his work on trails in Miami County. Finally, Ed Dressler, the “Father” of the paved trails network in Greene County was recognized as advocate of the year. He served for many years as the Director of Greene County Parks and Trails. His advocacy and continued dedication for the Rails to Trails program and talent for bringing communities together over a shared vision are the key reasons why our region can now boast of the Nation’s Largest Paved Trail Network.
The City of Miamisburg hosted the 2019 Cycling Summit and welcomed keynote Kathleen Griffith. Ms. Griffith spoke about her role as the President of Visit Bentonville and how her agency has made Bentonville a mountain biking destination for visitors and residents alike. The Friends of the Little Miami Scenic Trail were recognized as the Organization Advocate of the Year and Joanne and Terry Harris were recognized as Advocates of the Year for their leadership of the senior cycling group, Changing Gears. The City of Miamisburg legacy dollars went toward a trail entrance enhancement on the Great Miami River Trail.
Coming off the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Kettering held a virtual summit on the platform Remo in 2021. Keynote speaker Charles T. Brown challenged audiences to think about how black and brown people navigate transportation options in his presentation: Arrested Mobility. The Advocate of the Year award was given to Hans Landefeld for his work with the Miami Conservancy District and trial advocacy to connect gaps in the Great Miami River Trail and build bike plans for area communities. The Great Miami Riverway took home the award for Organization of the Year for its promotion of the trail as an economic development tool for communities up and down the river. Content from the Summit can still be viewed on the Bike Miami Valley Youtube Channel. Kettering also planned a socially distant self-guided tour of Kettering to highlight its many bicycle infrastructure investments and signed routes.
The 2023 Summit will be held in the City of Dayton. The Summit continues to provide a venue for the public to share their ideas with public officials, for communities to share successes and struggles surrounding their bikeway master plans, and a place for all to celebrate the successes experienced in the last 20 years.