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Press Release: May 10, 2013

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: Tracey Bradnan, 440-781-7690 or tracey@centurycycles.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 10, 2013 

Bike to School Challenge Concludes Record First Week;
In National Spotlight for Creating “Bike-to-School Meccas”

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio – After a record-breaking Day One on May 6, Century Cycles Bike to School Challenge (BTSC) in Bay Village, Medina and Rocky River concluded its first week with the students breaking more bike-riding records and putting Northeast Ohio in the national bicycling spotlight.

During the program’s first week on May 6-10, all but one school in the program showed double-digit growth over last year’s ridership, with three schools logging record days. Overall, the program averaged 1,275 bicyclists to school per day this week at the five schools, for a total of 6,375 bike-rides to school. The highest overall ride day of the week was Thursday, May 9, on which 1,394 students biked, a new BTSC record.

The three-week program concludes on May 23 at Rocky River Middle School and on May 24 at Bay Middle and High Schools and Medina middle schools.

IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Bike to School Challenge was featured in a report by the Atlantic Cities (www.theatlanticcities.com, a division of The Atlantic Monthly magazine) on National Bike To School Day on May 8 in an article titled, “How to Make Your Town into a Bike-To-School Mecca” (link: http://bit.ly/12m9qFD).

6th annual BAY BIKE TO SCHOOL CHALLENGE
Bay Middle School averaged 576 bicyclists to school this week – an astonishing 70% of the school and up 22% over their 2012 per-day average of 474. The highest ride day at BMS this week was 634 bicyclists to school on Wednesday, May 8, or 77% of the school – a new Bay Middle School and BTSC record. Bay High School averaged 123 bicyclists to school this week, down 9% from their 135-per-day average in 2012.

2nd annual MEDINA BIKE TO SCHOOL CHALLENGE
Bike-riding is up significantly at both Claggett and Root Middle Schools this year. This week, Claggett Middle School averaged 83 bicyclists to school per day (9% of the school), up 28% over their 2012 per-day average of 65. They handily beat their high-ride day of 78 in 2012 on May 9, when 94 Claggett students arrived at school by bicycle. At A.I. Root Middle School, an average of 156 students biked each day this week (or 18% of the school), up 22% over their 2012 per-day average of 128.

3rd annual ROCKY RIVER BIKE TO SCHOOL CHALLENGE
It was a record first week of the challenge at Rocky River Middle School, which logged a record high-ride day on Thursday, May 9, when 377 students biked (61% of the school). On average this week, 338 students biked each day – 55% of the school and up 24% over their per-day average of 273 in 2012.

Century Cycles’ Bike to School Challenge on May 6-24, 2013 is the largest and most successful student bicycling program in the United States, motivating more than 4,000 middle school and high school students in Bay Village, Rocky River, and Medina to ride their bikes to school as much as possible for three weeks each May -- to help the environment, improve their health, win prizes and have fun. For more details, go to www.centurycycles.com/for/BTS.