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CONTACT:
Scott Cowan, Owner, Century Cycles, 440-356-5705 (office), 330-730-9928 (mobile) or scott@centurycycles.com
Amy Busby, Community Relations Coordinator, Medina City Schools, 330-636-3112 or busbya@medinabees.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 1, 2018

Medina Bike To School Challenge begins May 7

MEDINA, Ohio – Over 4,700 middle school and elementary school students in the Medina area will begin the 2018 Bike To School Challenge in the coming weeks, committing to ride their bikes to school to help the environment, get more physical activity to improve their health, have fun, and win prizes. The award-winning program is May 7-18, 2018, and is the biggest bike-to-school program in the United States.

The Medina Bike To School Challenge began in 2012 at A.I. Root Middle School and Claggett Middle School. They were joined by H.G. Blake Elementary School in 2015. This year, the Challenge comes to NINE local schools, with the addition of Eliza Northrop Elementary School, Ella Canavan Elementary School, Garfield Elementary School, Heritage Elementary School, Ralph E. Waite Elementary School, and Sidney Fenn Elementary School.

How It Works

Students at participating schools who ride their bikes to school during the one-week challenge period earn a Ride Card, which is punched for each day they ride. Riding on specific days earns a student a prize provided by one of the event's sponsors. Riding a total of four or more days earns the student an entry in the final prize drawings. The grand prizes are Giant and Liv bicycles provided by Mellion Orthodontics and private donors Ron & Cathy Ross. Final prizes are also provided by other program sponsors.

Schedule of Events

A.I. Root Middle School, Claggett Middle School, Eliza Northrop Elementary School, Garfield Elementary School, Ralph E. Waite Elementary School, and Sidney Fenn Elementary School:

  • Monday, May 7: Bike To School Challenge begins; Subway BOGO Day
  • Wednesday, May 9: Century Cycles Water Bottle Day & National Bike To School Day
  • Friday, May 11: Honey Bee Bakery Cookie Day and Wear your Bike to School T-Shirt Day

Ella Canavan Elementary School, H.G. Blake Elementary School, and Heritage Elementary School:

  • Monday, May 14: Bike To School Challenge begins; Subway BOGO Day
  • Wednesday, May 16: Century Cycles Water Bottle Day
  • Friday, May 18: Honey Bee Bakery Cookie Day and Wear your Bike to School T-Shirt Day

Medina Bike To School Challenge Sponsors

  • Century Cycles
  • Subway
  • Giant Bicycles
  • Honey Bee Bakery
  • Johnny Malloy's of Medina
  • Dairy Queen Grill & Chill
  • Mellion Orthodontics
  • Courthouse Pizzeria
  • Ron & Cathy Ross
  • South of the Square Collision Center
  • Rinky Dink Family Fun Center
  • School House Scoops

History of the Bike To School Challenge

In 2007, Bay High School students in Bay Village encouraged each other to ride their bikes to school to protest the high gasoline prices at the time. Inspired by their efforts, Century Cycles owner Scott Cowan (a Bay High School alumnus) worked with Bay Village Schools officials to turn it into an organized event in 2008. The Bike To School Challenge expanded to schools in Rocky River and Medina in later years.

The Bike To School Challenge bucks national trends in every participating community. In 1969, over 50% of students biked or walked to school. Today, the national average is less than 15%, or less than 5% in some schools. During the 2017 Medina Bike To School Challenge, Medina students took 2,649 trips by bike for a total of 7,364 miles pedaled. This saved over 5,600 pounds of CO2 from being released into the environment, and saved over 288 gallons of gasoline (saving their parents almost $650 in total). They burned over 170,000 calories, the equivalent of over 950 cans of Coca-Cola.

For more information, go to http://centurycycles.com/for/medbtsc, or follow the Bike To School Challenge on Facebook at https://facebook.com/BikeToSchoolChallenge or on Twitter @BTSChallenge.