Campus News

Interested in a Free Bike? Big Blue Cycle, Semester Bike Lottery Applications Open

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 4, 2022) — Will you be on campus this fall, but can’t bring your bike with you? University of Kentucky Transportation Services has two programs that provide free bikes to students for their personal use. Discover your options below and sign up today.

Big Blue Cycles

The Big Blue Cycles program has a fleet of more than 150 bicycles available exclusively to students living in campus housing who sign a one-year car-free commitment. Students selected for the program will have the bicycle for the entire academic year. 

The commuter-style, eight-speed bicycles come equipped with fenders, a lock, an optional helmet and a bell. Big Blue Cycles falls under the umbrella of Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library, a free bike repair shop on campus. 

If more than 150 students apply for the program, a random drawing will be used to select the group of students who will receive a Big Blue Cycle. Returning residents who held a parking permit the previous year receive priority consideration. 

Participants must participate in a one-hour safety orientation session, provided by Wildcat Wheels.

The application deadline is Friday, Aug. 12. Apply online here.

Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library Fall 2022 Semester Bike Lottery

Wildcat Wheels has a fleet of 100 bicycles that can be checked out at no cost for a full semester at a time. Since demand for these bikes often exceeds supply, the selection is handled through a random lottery. 

The lottery is open to all UK students, staff and faculty. The application deadline is Friday, Aug. 12. Apply online here.

In addition to Big Blue Cycles and the Semester Bike Lottery, Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library also has bicycles that may be checked out by students and employees free of charge on a weekly basis, as well as bikes available for departmental use. 

Wildcat Wheels is a free, education-based bike shop that is open five days a week to assist the campus community with bicycle maintenance and repair. It’s funded by UK Transportation Services and is located on the first floor of Blazer Dining, near the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Avenue of Champions.

For bike-related news and updates, sign up for our Bike e-news and follow Wildcat Wheels on Facebook.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

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