The 2016 edition of the National Bike Challenge runs from May 1st through September 30th. Like prior editions of the program, its aim is to get more people riding bikes, more often.
The National Bike Challenge does this by promoting a friendly competition, based on the number of “points” you accumulate. The formula for calculating points in the Challenge is really simple: it’s 20 points for each day you ride at least 1 mile, plus 1 point for each mile.
People can compete in a number of different ways:
- Individually, on national, state, community, school, workplace, and team leaderboards
- As teams, with categories based on team size (up to 10, 10-24, 25-49, 50-99, and 100+)
- As workplaces, based on number of employees (<10, 10-99, 100-499, 500-4999, and 5000+)
- As schools, based on elementary, middle, high, and college
- As communities, based on size (<500, 500-4999, 5000-49999, 50000-199999, 200000+)
- As leagues, among teams
- As states, based on region (Notheast, South, Midwest, West)
In addition, there are “Advocacy Challenges” of one or more counties. (Advocacy, health, and community groups can host a challenge; contact the folks at the League of American Bicyclists for more info.)
Why Compete in the National Bike Challenge?
- It’s fun!
- It’s free!
- You have a chance to win some great prizes, which are awarded randomly each month to participating riders. THe more you ride, the better your chances to win.
- For state, civic, or personal pride.
- For friendly competition. Out-doing your friends, co-workers, or neighboring communities feels so good!
- By logging your miles, and sharing your results on social media, you’ll be an inspiration for your friends. You never know who might start riding because they saw how much fun you’re having.
- The discipline of riding regularly and logging your miles helps instill a positive habit in your life.
- You’ll be surprised at how many miles and memories you rack up!
In addition to these personal reasons, there are also some larger considerations. By recording your miles, you’re helping to provide data that advocates can use to help make the case for improving bicycling conditions in your community. Historically, statistics for ridership have been notoriously difficult to gather, and this lack of data has made it difficult to convince policy-makers to invest in better bicycling infrastructure. Having solid numbers helps immensely to bolster the case.
How To Compete in the National Bike Challenge
The National Bike Challenge offers a number of ways to log your miles. You can enter your data manually, by using a GPS device (such as a Garmin cyclocomputer) and a supported web app (Endomondo, MapMyRide, or Strava), or by using a supported app with a smartphone (via Endomondo, MapMyRide, or Strava).
If you’re using one of the supported apps or web sites, logging to the National Bike Challenge becomes completely automated. So easy!
To get started, go to NationalBikeChallenge.org and create an account, then enter the pertinent info (age, gender, zip code).
If you’re using a GPS cyclometer, setup an account at Strava, Endomondo, or MapMyRide, and connect it to the National Bike Challenge using the provided instructions.
If you’re using a smartphone, you can then download one of the available apps (if in doubt, try Strava), install it, and connect it to the National Bike Challenge using the provided instructions.
Sign up for the National Bike Challenge
Post tags: National Bike Challenge
