Century Cycles' Bike To School Challenge returns to Rocky River Middle School and Kensington Intermediate School in 2018.
The Bike To School Challenge kicks off on April 26 with a Rocky River Bicycle Fair from 6-7:30pm at Rocky River Middle School, 1631 Lakeview Ave. The Rocky River community is invited to bring bicycles in for a free safety check, learn more about the Rocky River Bike To School Challenge and get more information from program sponsors.
At the bike fair, 10-15 bike helmets will be given out to the first in line. Rocky River police officers will be writing bike licenses for students. A bike blender station will allow students to make smoothies while riding a bike. Therapy Dog June will be on hand to greet everyone as well.
Rocky River Middle School’s Bike To School Challenge runs April 30-May 18. Kensington Intermediate School’s Bike To School Challenge runs May 14-18. This year’s sponsors are Century Cycles, Giant Bicycles, Subway, Honey Hut Ice Cream, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Rocky River PTA and the Rocky River City School District.
Designated prize days include:
April 30: Subway BOGO Day
May 3: Bike to School Challenge T-Shirt Day
May 4: Starbucks Day
May 7: Subway BOGO Day
May 9: Century Cycles Water Bottle Day & National Bike to School Day
May 10: Whole Foods Day
May 14: Subway BOGO Day
May 15: Honey Hut Ice Cream Day
May 19: Final Assembly Day & Wear Your BTS T-Shirt Day
The more students ride, the more prizes they earn. Biking just four days earns them a Bike to School T-shirt – designed by Rocky River Middle School seventh grader Siena Roselli. Riding all 15 days earns a chance in a drawing for an all-day bike ride on the Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park led by Rocky River Health/Fitness Education Teacher Mark Harris and a Winking Lizard pizza party on June 1. Additional prizes include:
Prizes and incentive items are partially funded by the Ohio Safe Routes to School grant program, as well as sponsor donations.
Similar events will take place in Bay Village and Medina. More than 5,000 students at 13 local schools will take the challenge this year.
Scott Cowan, owner of Century Cycles, started the challenge to encourage more children to ride their bikes to school and use their bikes as a mode of transportation.
“That’s how I went to school,” Cowan said. “These local communities are very well suited for biking as a mode of transportation for kids.”