Take the National Bike Challenge

HANCOCK -- Don’t let the lingering cool weather fool you -- it’s bike-commuting season and time for the 2014 National Bike Challenge. Organized by the League of American Bicyclists, the goal of the bike challenge is to encourage more people to bicycle. The challenge aims to encourage 50,000 Americans to bike a total of 30 million miles between May 1 and September 30. Registering for the challenge is a free and easy way to keep track of your riding and find encouragement to ride more.

Locally, the bike challenge is sponsored by Bike Initiative Keweenaw (BIKE!), a regional bike advocacy group. Last year, Copper Country cyclists who took the challenge logged nearly 70,000 miles, saved $8,000 in fuel costs and reduced CO2 emissions by 24,000 pounds. Three local communities -- Copper Harbor, Atlantic Mine and Painesdale -- ranked in the top ten nationally for per capita miles logged. Lorri Oikarinen of Calumet was the top-ranked local cyclist, and women formed a larger percentage of Copper Country riders than nationally.

This year, local organizers hope to have more than 150 people registered and 100,000 miles logged during the next five months. Register anytime at nationalbikechallenge.org and you will automatically enter the local challenge. Then, simply log all the miles you ride.

To learn more about BIKE!, visit bikeinitiativekeweenaw.org. There you’ll find route maps, news and events -- and links to the National Bike Challenge and Keweenaw Bike to Work Day, scheduled for Thursday, May 15.

Atlantic Mine bike duo meeting National Bike Challenge

ATLANTIC MINE -- Bike enthusiasts Keren Tischler and Curt Webb of Atlantic Mine have, between them, already logged nearly 1000 miles on their bikes (even in the Keweenaw's long snow season) to reach the top 10 list of the 2013 National Bike Challenge’s warm-up period.

Kurt Webb and Keren Tischler of Atlantic Mine are inspired by the National Bike Challenge to ride their bikes for transportation, work and recreation. (Photo by Judy Foster and courtesy Keren Tischler)

An article on the League of American Bicyclists blog says Tischler and Webb were inspired by this Challenge to use their bikes for "trips to town, work or just for fun." Their goal is to inspire others in their community to use bicycles more often for transportation as well as recreation and better health.*

The National Bike Challenge runs from May 1 to Sept. 30, 2013.

* Click here to read this article about the National Bike Challenge and how it inspired this Tischler and Webb to put Atlantic Mine on the map for biking.

Click here to read more about the Challenge and how you can join and win prizes for riding your bike!