URBANA – Bicycles and riders will be especially visible in Urbana on Saturday.

A representative of the League of American Bicyclists will present city officials with a sign recognizing Urbana as a Bike Friendly Community. The city will also have a bike rodeo and a family bike ride.

The bicycle organization, based in Washington, awarded the status to Urbana in May, along with awards to 15 other new communities and five that were renewed. The organization also awarded 19 other communities with honorable mention.

Urbana was the only city in Illinois to get the nod this round and the first downstate city to be so recognized. Chicago, Naperville and Schaumburg are the only other Illinois cities recognized as Bicycle Friendly Communities.

Andy Clark, president of the league, said communities throughout the country "see bicycling as an integral component of building livable communities."

The criteria are based on a community's plan for engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, evaluation and planning for bicycle riding and bike safety.

A representative of the league will present the signs to the city at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Market at the Square, outside Lincoln Square in downtown Urbana. For more information about the League of American Bicyclists program, visit online.

A bike rodeo and a family bike ride will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, on Walnut Street, west of the Market on the Square.

Alderman Charlie Smyth, D-1, said the recognition is "a good start on becoming an even more attractive community."

Smyth, a long-time bicycle rider, said Alderman Brandon Bowersox, D-4 and chair of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, first suggested city participation in the bike friendly community program. The mayor and the council supported it and the staff helped accomplish goals of establishing safety education, bike lanes and other facets of the program.

"As we increase the education and facilities, it will add to the safety for all," Smyth said. "We are also trying to return to a healthier lifestyle."

City civil engineer Jennifer Selby, herself a bicycle rider and city staff representative on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission and project manager of the city's Bicycle Mater Plan, said the city currently has three miles of bike lanes – Illinois Street, Gregory Street, Windsor Road, Philo Road and Goodwin Avenue. She said 14 more miles of bike paths are in the city bike plan for the future.

Encouraging residents to "get Urbana bicycling" is one of the city council goals. More information about biking in Urbana is online.