USU Wins National Bike Challenge University Division for Third Year
Overall winners received awards at the Open Streets Festival Oct. 4. Ben Renard-Wiart accepted the "top team points" award on behalf of USU Public Relations and Marketing.
Utah State University won first place in the college/university division of the National Bike Challenge for the third year of the four years of its participation in the program, logging more miles from more cyclists than any other school. The 239 USU students and employees registered for the competition rode 78,236 miles, burned more than 4-million calories, averted 32,001 pounds of CO2 and saved $20,090 dollars.
“People at USU and in Cache Valley are exceptionally enthusiastic about bicycles,” Alexi Lamm, USU Sustainability coordinator, said. “Whether they were going for the win or just around the block with their kids, everyone’s miles contributed to USU’s total. It’s also fun to see greater participation in the Cache Valley Bike Challenge, which we look forward to continuing in partnership with Trails Cache and Bear River Health Department.”
The National Bike Challenge is a national competition where users log miles cycled for fun, fitness and transportation from May 1 to Sept. 30. More than 45,000 participants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia logged miles throughout the competition, receiving 20 points for every day they rode at least one mile and one point for every mile they rode.
USU accumulated 203,856 points over the competition. Participants were eligible for prizes at the national and university levels. USU celebrated the victory Sept. 30, with a bike to breakfast event served by USU Dining Services.
Aggie Blue Bikes and the Sustainability Council recognized overall USU winners at Open Streets Festival Oct. 4. The winners included:
Top male rider
- 1st place: Ben Renard-Wiart, USU Public Relations and Marketing
- Runner-up: Lee Harris, USU Information Technology
Top female rider
- 1st place: Paula Ericson, Extension County Offices
- Runner-up: Kristine Miller, USU Honors Program and CycloProfs
Top points per team member
- 1st place: USU Public Relations and Marketing
- Runner-up: Utah Water Research Laboratory
Top points per team
- 1st place: Utah Water Research Laboratory
- Runner-up: USU Information Technology
USU’s Sustainability Council, Aggie Blue Bikes and Employee Wellness Program collaborated on the event to encourage more students and employees to try cycling as a healthy, low carbon transportation option.
The National Bike Challenge is a nationwide event uniting thousands of current bicyclists — and encouraging countless new riders. In its simplest form, it is a logging center for users to record miles ridden and be part of the national community of bicyclists. Users compete on a local, state and national level. The Challenge is a partnership between PeopleForBikes and Cottonelle.
Contact: Alexi Lamm, USU Sustainability coordinator, 435.797.9299, alexi.lamm@usu.edu
Contact: TJ Hall, Aggie Blue Bikes coordinator, 435.797.8139, tj.hall@usu.edu
In a drawing, USU Employee Wellness drew English professor Joyce Kinkead as the winner of a new bike at the Open Streets Festival. The bike drawing was held as part of the National Bike Challenge.
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