Skip to main content

Press Release: May 29, 2012

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACTS:
Tracey Bradnan, 440-781-7690 or tracey@centurycycles.com
Jeanne Hurt, 330-636-3112 or hurtj@mcsoh.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 29, 2012

Medina students biked 13,171 miles during 2012 Bike
To School Challenge

Program concluded May 29 with praise from mayor, awards and
prizes for students and school

MEDINA, Ohio – Medina Bike To School Challenge concluded at Root and Claggett Middle Schools on Tuesday, May 29, with school-wide celebrations of the students’ bicycling accomplishments by Medina’s mayor, school administrators and program organizers and sponsors.

Medina middle school students logged 13,171 miles on their bikes and on average 193 students (9.3%) biked each day during the three-week program that ran May 7-25. It was an effort that had a significant impact on the students, their community and the environment -- burning hundreds of thousands of calories, preventing a significant amount of carbon dioxide emissions and saving their parents a lot of gas money. Prizes were also awarded to the students, their school and one of their teachers.

“It’s an honor to congratulate Medina’s students for their bicycling,” said Medina Mayor Dennis Hanwell in his address to the school-wide assembly at Root Middle School. “Bicycling is important for a number of reasons. It’s a great way to be physically active throughout your life and to help the environment by having fewer cars on the roads. We are committed to expanding the bicycling opportunities in Medina and encourage students to keep bicycling.”

Main sponsors Century Cycles bicycle store in Medina and bicycle manufacturer Raleigh Bicycles teamed up to give away two grand prize bicycles, which were won in a random drawing at the assembly by 8th grader Logan Usher and 6th grader Truman Karczewski. Both boys biked every day of the challenge. At Claggett Middle School, the grand prize Raleigh bicycles were won by 7th graders Dustin Green and Nate Neuwirth. Dustin biked all but two days, and Nate biked every day of the challenge.

Raleigh Bicycles also gave Claggett and Root Middle Schools $500 each as an award for exceeding their bicycling goals during the challenge, to use for fitness and bicycling programs.

“Bike To School Challenge is unique and is the best of its kind in the nation,” said Sean Burkey, Midwest Manager of Raleigh Bicycles. “We work with over 1,400 bike stores around the country and have never seen a bike-to-school program that generates the level of participation and excitement that this one does. Raleigh Bicycles is extraordinarily proud to be part of Medina Bike To School Challenge and will be back next year as a sponsor.”

Burkey also noted that bike stores in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, California and Minnesota are inspired the program and are eager to use it as a template for their own bike-to-school efforts.

Based on daily bike counts and student surveys, Bike To School Challenge organizers report that both Claggett and Root students took 2,901 rides to school and biked 13,171 miles on May 7-25. On average, 193 students biked each day, or 9.3% of the total enrollment of both schools. This was up from the 1-2% of bike-ridership reported at both schools prior to the start of Medina Bike To School Challenge. Both schools saved a combined 14,488 pounds of heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions from the environment by bicycling to school during the challenge’s three weeks. They also saved 588 gallons of gasoline (using the average U.S. vehicle fuel economy of 22.4 MPG) and saved their parents $2,205 on gasoline based on the current Ohio average gas price of $3.75/gallon.

Calculating that a 100-pound person burns about 17 calories per mile during moderate bicycling, Medina students burned an estimated 223,907 calories just bicycling to and from school. Studies show that physically active students do better academically and everyday exercise helps combat rampant childhood obesity.

Root Middle School students have a 4.1-mile roundtrip commute to school and biked 7,868 miles during the challenge. The school averaged 128 bicyclists per day, or 15% of the school’s enrollment of 850 students. The students saved 8,655 pounds of CO2 emissions, burned 133,756 calories, and saved their parents $1,316.25 on gasoline.

Claggett Middle School students have a 5.4-mile roundtrip commute to school and biked 5,303 miles during the challenge. The school averaged 65 bicyclists per day, or 7% of the school’s enrollment of 950 students. The students saved 5,833 pounds of CO2 emissions, burned 90,151 calories, and saved their parents $888.75 on gasoline.

The Medina Bike To School Challenge t-shirt design contest was won by 8th grade Root Middle School student Zachary Hunter. He won a prize package from Century Cycles, and his winning design is featured on the front of the shirt given by the bike store to every student who biked to school four days or more during the challenge.

Besides Century Cycles and Raleigh Bicycles, other sponsors that contributed prizes and support to make Medina Bike To School Challenge possible were Subway of Medina (986 North Court Street), Nature’s Touch Massage, Medina Recreation Center, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians and Guy’s Pizza.

Bike To School Challenge is an award-winning, three-week program that seeks to inspire over 4,000 students in Bay Village, Rocky River and Medina to bike to school as much as possible to improve their health, help the environment and have fun. The program is organized by Century Cycles bicycle store in conjunction with the schools. During it, students carry cards that are stamped for each bike-ride to school and can be redeemed for prizes. For more information about Bike To School Challenge and to see photos and videos, go to www.centurycycles.com/to/BTS or follow the program at www.facebook.com/BikeToSchoolChallenge.