Monday, October 1, 2018
Fairfax Finishes Fourth in National Bike Challenge
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| May to September Results |
We began the month having ridden almost 147,000 miles since the challenge started in May. Fairfax County riders tacked on another 25,900 miles during 1,780 rides to bring our total to more than 171,900 miles. Fairfax County riders helped Virginia log 332,000 miles and place third in the country among states with populations of 8 to 12 million residents.
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| September Results |
Congratulations to everyone who participated, especially the new riders. Even if you didn't win any of the available prizes, everyone won because biking provides health benefits ranging from heart health and improved immunity through better sleep to increased mental acuity and better mental health. So, do your friends a favor and keep inviting them to go biking.
Labels: national bike challenge
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Finish Strong
September is the final month for this year’s National Bike Challenge, and FABB is encouraging Fairfax County riders to get together with friends—and new riders—and go biking. August ended with 191 county bicyclists having logged 9,772 trips and almost 147,000 miles since the challenge started in May. This has kept Fairfax County fourth in the nation among communities of one million residents or more, trailing only the San Francisco Bay area, Atlanta, and Philadelphia. Fairfax’s total miles represent well over half of the 270,000 miles all Virginia bicyclists have logged to date for the challenge.
All participants should be proud of their role. Nationwide, nearly 110,000 bicyclists have joined the challenge and taken more than 5 million rides totaling nearly 55 million miles.
You can still register and join us for a strong finish to the challenge. Just go to the Love to Ride website and sign up.
Labels: national bike challenge
Thursday, August 2, 2018
National Bike Challenge July Results
Fairfax riders are still in fourth place in our category in the National Bike Challenge at the end of July. Chicago area cyclists, however, are closing the gap after apparently getting in some longer rides this past month. Still, Fairfax riders are doing well given all the severe weather over the past few weeks. We have now logged nearly 7,700 trips and more than 114,000 miles.
Friends and colleagues can still join up by registering at Love to Ride. Adding more riders is the surest way to improve Fairfax County’s standing in the challenge, so please spread the word.
Labels: national bike challenge
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
National Bike Challenge Mid-month Update
Fairfax riders are holding on to fourth place in our category in the National Bike Challenge. Ten more cyclists have signed up since the first of the month and that’s a big help in adding to our totals. Fairfax riders have now logged more than 6,600 trips and 96,000 miles.
Local cyclists also can take a bow for helping to keep Virginia among the top three states in the 8 to 12 million residents category. Our mileage represents more that half of the miles logged in Virginia, which is helping to keep the Old Dominion well ahead of North Carolina.
Keep riding and keep inviting friends and colleagues to join in the fun by registering at Love to Ride.
Labels: national bike challenge
Sunday, July 1, 2018
National Bike Challenge: Fairfax’s Strong June Finish
Since June 10, the 184 Fairfax County cyclists who have signed up for the National Bike Challenge have continue to log an impressive number of trips and miles. Fairfax County is holding strong in fourth place in the nation among com- munities of a million or more residents.
Since June 10, the Fairfax riders have taken 1,455 more trips for a total since the start of the challenge of 5,658 trips. In just 20 days they logged another 33,093 miles for a total of 90,549 miles since the first of May.
Fairfax is keeping ahead of Chicago-area riders but has yet to close the gap with the Philadelphia-area cyclists, who have the advantage of 200 more riders signed up. It would help if some more Fairfax cyclists who are also fans of the Nationals, Redskins, Wizards, and NHL Champion CAPITALS signed up. Show your team spirit and sign up at Love to Ride.
Labels: national bike challenge
Sunday, June 10, 2018
National Bike Challenge – Fairfax Rolls On
In the three weeks since our last post on the National Bike Challenge, 16 more Fairfax County riders have signed up to help maintain our area’s strong performance. Fairfax County is still holding on to fourth place in the nation among communities of a million or more residents. More amazingly, over the past three weeks Fairfax County riders participating in the challenge have ridden nearly 30,000 miles in just over 2,000 trips. Since the start of the challenge on May 1, the 182 Fairfax riders have taken 4,203 trips and logged 57,456 miles. Keep up the great work, everyone!
You can still sign up here to join the fun. The challenge runs through September and its a great excuse to introduce new riders the joy of biking.
Labels: national bike challenge
Saturday, May 19, 2018
National Bike Challenge - Go Fairfax!
And, speaking of community, Fairfax is ranked fourth among areas with one million or more residents. We're trailing only the Bay Area, Atlanta, and Philadelphia in riders and miles. This is a great opportunity to show some community spirit. FABB encourages members to use the challenge to get new riders involved in bicycling. We can beat Philadelphia and we have to stay ahead of Tampa Bay (sitting down at seventh). So, now that the worst of the rain is over, sign up and go ride.
Labels: national bike challenge
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Please Join Us for the National Bike Challenge
As you may recall, last year FABB and its members participated in the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) National Bike Challenge. FABB members were part of the more than 30,000 bicyclists from all 50 states and the District who participated in the challenge. Between May and September FABB members rode enough miles to finish among the top 20 groups and clubs in the nation.
Well, we are going to do it again in 2018 and are aiming to finish even higher. Please become part of the NBC FABB group and help us reach this milestone as we also help to get people out on their bikes so they can reap all the benefits that come from an active, healthy, and fun means of recreation and transportation.
This year the League is partnering with Love to Ride to run the National Bike Challenge. Registration for the National Bike Challenge is open now, and you can register on the Love to Ride website here.
Start by clicking on the “You can register yourself and your team here” link. Next, sign in with Strava (to record miles automatically) or by using Facebook or your email address (log miles manually). After this, provide responses to a series of questions (name, email, password, address, etc.) until you reach a page that asks for a team or an organization. Please choose "organization" and either enter FABB or scroll down and double-click on FABB. You will then be asked to list your department within FABB but skip this page and complete the registration.
Please join us and invite your friends and neighbors to participate. Remember, the challenge starts on 1 May.
Labels: national bike challenge
Monday, October 2, 2017
National Bike Challenge Final Report
Over 31,000 riders logged over 31 million miles in the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Challenge. Between May and the end of September 210 of those riders represented FABB. Our members logged enough miles to rank 11th in the nation. Great job, everyone!
Labels: league of american bicyclists, national bike challenge
Monday, August 21, 2017
FABB Back in National Bike Challenge’s Top 20
As of the August 21, FABB had returned to a position among the Top 20 advocacy groups participating in the National Bike Challenge. The challenge, which is organized by the League of American Bicyclists, seeks to encourage current and new bicyclists to get out and ride. The “Challenge Period” goes through September 30, so there is still time to get out and ride to add to FABB’s tally. If you haven’t registered yet, just go to the National Bike Challenge website and follow the directions. Please help us move back up into the Top 10, which is where we started back in May.
As a extra incentive, recall that a FABB supporter has committed to making a donation that doubles FABB’s point total at the end of the August. That total stands at 264 today and it would be great if we could get to 300. Please record your miles and help FABB reach that milestone.
While you are at it, please consider making a donation to FABB by clicking here or using the Donate button on this page. As you may know, FABB’s primary fundraiser, the Tour de Fat was cancelled because of weather this year. Our other fundraiser for the past two years, the Clips Beer and Film Festival, was discontinued by its sponsor. Please help us with our advocacy mission by donating $5, $10, $20, $25 or whatever you can today. Thanks!
Labels: donation, national bike challenge
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
National Bike Challenge FABB Fundraising Opportunity
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| FABB is neck-and-neck with Bike NWA and Kaw Valley |
July has been hot and people are away on vacation, so it appears that we’re not getting out on our bikes as much as earlier in the Bike Challenge. FABB has now dropped into the high 20s in the national rankings.
We’re sure this will change in the remaining months. To further encourage FABB members to get out and ride (and log those miles for the National Bike Challenge!), one of our donors has offered to make a donation in a two-for-one match of dollars to points per participant as of August 31. FABB currently has 197 points per participant, which would be worth a $394 donation.
So, please get out there ride. Let’s get FABB back into the top 20 and then the top 10. See the National Bike Challenge site for details on participating. And, of course, you can always donate to FABB to help us advocate for better bicycling by clicking here.
Labels: donation, national bike challenge
Sunday, May 28, 2017
National Bike Challenge: Thanks for A Great First Month
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| FABB is 16th in the nation as of 26 May. |
The first month of the National Bike Challenge ends on Tuesday. Be sure to log your miles by then to be eligible for prizes.
FABB is still doing relatively well among advocacy groups participating in the challenge. With 169 members participating, our average points per member have kept us in the top 20 nationwide. Not bad, but we can do better.
FABB is planning future events to help promote bicycling and enhance the culture of healthy and active living in Fairfax County. Please plan on joining us and, if you have the time, please consider volunteering to help our advocacy, education, and encouragement efforts. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact president@fabb-bikes.org
Labels: national bike challenge, volunteers
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
National Bike Challenge - Have You Joined Yet?
FABB is off to a great start on the National Bike Challenge. We're racking up the miles and are ranked 7th nationally after just three days.
Why not join us? You just need to go to the National Bike Challenge site.There you'll be given directions to sign up with or sign in to Strava, the "Social Network for Athletes," to track your miles. You also can use Garmin and other apps or enter your data manually, if your prefer.
The challenge runs through the end of September so it's not too late to start. Please join us to help keep FABB nationally ranked and show the country that Fairfax County is serious about bicycling as a transportation, recreation, and fitness option. And please support our NBC sponsor, Bikes@Vienna.
Labels: national bike challenge
Friday, April 29, 2016
The National Bike Challenge
FABB is encouraging members to sign up for the National Bike Challenge to help promote bicycling. PeopleForBikes, a national organization dedicated to making bicycling better for everyone, is again sponsoring the National Bike Challenge. Now in its fifth year, the Challenge seeks to unite millions of riders, thousands of businesses and hundreds of communities to create a powerful, united voice for bicycling and its benefits.
The Challenge basically is an easy logging center for you to record the miles you ride while competing with other riders all over the country. It is a free and easy way to challenge yourself, colleagues and the greater community to ride more. The Challenge aims to unite 100,000 riders to pedal 75 million miles from May 1, 2016 until September 30, 2016.
Labels: national bike challenge, people for bikes
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
2013 National Bike Challenge - FABB team finishes 39th in U.S.
The National Bike Challenge is a way to encourage more people to travel by bike. The League of American Bicyclists teamed up with Kimberly-Clark to provide tools for logging the number of miles they travel by bike, with the goal of logging 20 million miles during the challenge period. The final total was 18.4 million miles, which amounts to more than 423 million calories burned, nearly 7 million tons of CO2 that was not emitted into the atmosphere (had those trips been taken by car), and more than $2 million saved.
Thanks to FABB members who participated in the challenge. It was easy for most of us; we use our bikes for most of our local, and many of our longer trips. Nevertheless, the Challenge gave us the incentive to take even more of those trips by bike.
Labels: league of american bicyclists, national bike challenge
Thursday, September 6, 2012
National Bike Challenge results
Most of Ken's miles were on his commute to work. In the morning he rides from his home in the Hybla Valley area off Route 1 to the Huntington Metro station. He gets there early and can take his bike on the train to his job in suburban Maryland. He often rides home after work.
Hunter's commute is from Vienna to Bethesda and he usually rides both ways. The trip is about 16 miles and takes about the same time as taking Metro. He rides the W&OD Trail to Falls Church. From there he takes West St to the bike lanes on Williamsburg Blvd to Glebe Rd, working his way through neighborhood streets to
My trips this summer were mostly to meetings related to the county bike plan. There were 8 area meetings, 2 countywide community meetings, 5 focus group meetings, bicycle advisory committee meetings, and others. I also traveled to events where FABB had a table, FABB monthly meetings, meetings of the Tysons Bike Group, Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax meetings, WABA board meetings, not to mention the trips to the local Y. It was a busy summer and I rarely drove my car. My wife and I usually log many more miles on our bikes than our cars.
I usually don't count miles but it was fun and interesting to track the miles I rode this summer. It's really not that important how many miles we ride as long as we ride. Short trips to the store or work count as much or more than a long recreational ride; there are more of them and they are an example to others that it is possible to take most of our local trips by bike.
Labels: national bike challenge
