I Bike Fresno Campaign encourages Fresno County to get out and ride

(FRESNO, CALIF.) — The I Bike Fresno 2012 Campaign will be kicking off its 3rd Annual Million Mile Challenge on Tuesday, May 1, to celebrate National May is Bike Month.

The Million Mile Challenge encourages people that work, play and live in Fresno County to work together to log miles in an effort to ride a collective one million miles, while reminding them that riding a bike is not just good for personal health and the environment, but it is also fun.

“Bicycles are something that have really been relegated to just a recreational item. People don’t realize that bikes can be a great tool for transportation,” said Byron Watkins, President of the Bike Happy Foundation. “We hope through efforts like the Million Mile Challenge and our other bike month events, we can start to change peoples’ behaviors and show them that bicycles aren’t just for kids. We want people to fall in love with their bicycles again.”

Participants can log their miles at www.ibikefresno.org. Once a profile is created, riders can pledge to ride as many or as little miles as they wish while also challenging their friends and family to do the same. The homepage of the I Bike Fresno website will keep a real-time tally of how many miles Fresno County has logged throughout the month. A new addition to this year’s Challenge will be the 31 Days of Prizes. Participants who ride and log their miles daily will be entered into a daily drawing of prizes which include vacation getaways, sports games and TV show tickets and gift cards to local restaurants and retail shops.

In 2011, participants logged a total of 142,743 in May.

As a kick off to the Million Mile Challenge, a Revive Your Bike event at the Manchester Center parking lot will be held from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 29. This free community expo encourages residents to bring their bikes out for a complimentary service and repair; registration to have a bike serviced will be from 10 a.m. -11 a.m. and is limited to the first 150 bikes. Minor service or tune-ups will be done for free by participating local bicycle shops and volunteers. Other activities at the expo will include educational booths, parking lot drills,  ABC quick checks, hazard avoidance maneuvers, general safety tips, helmet and bike fittings and more.

As in year’s past, May is Bike Month activities will include a Mall to Mall ride on Wednesday, May 9, starting at Manchester Center at 7:30 a.m. Elected officials, dignitaries, community and business leaders will make their way down Blackstone Ave. and culminate near the Fulton Mall, where they will enjoy refreshments sponsored by the Fresno County Bicycle Coalition.

Then on Wednesday, May 23, the 7^th Annual Bike to Work Corporate Challenge will take place and miles logged will count towards the Million Mile Challenge. In years past, this event attracted nearly 800 bicycle riders who bike to work and compete against other local companies for the most miles ridden. Raffle prizes, plaques and bragging rights are at stake. Rest stops and fueling stations will be placed throughout the community that morning.

I Bike Fresno was founded in 2010. I Bike Fresno is a campaign and resource to show Fresno that the bicycle is not only a recreational item, but a tool for transportation, independence and joy.

I Bike Fresno is an initiative of the Bike Happy Foundation. Its goal is to educate, encourage and promote bicycling as a mode of transportation for people of all ages through a wide range of messages and mediums; to create and disseminate materials that support bicycle-friendly communities; to develop and execute events and event planning resources to support bicycle-friendly communities; and to generate sponsorships and execute fundraisers to support these efforts.

For more information about the 2012 I Bike Fresno Campaign, visit www.ibikefresno.org.