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ARCHIVES
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Past Success
Since 2015, Simsbury has logged over 650,000 miles in the National Bike Challenge (May - Sept.). We continue to be the #1 participating bike club in Connecticut.
History of the Simsbury Bike Challenge
2015: # 5 local Challenge in U.S. (#1 in Northeast)
2016: # 1 Advocacy Challenge in U.S
2017: # 27 out of 710 Teams in National Bike Challenge (96%ile)
2018: #1 out of 6 communities in our size category (25-75K residents) for May Challenge
2019: NA
2020: #1 Group/Club in Connecticut
2021: #1 Group/Club in CT, 85%ile nationally in Large Group category.
2022: 66,000 miles during Bike Month, 1000 trips for transportation in the Bike-to-it! Bike Month Pledge event.
2023: NA
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First introduced in 2015, the Simsbury Bike Challenge has received strong support from the local business community and cyclists of all ages and abilities. Together, Simsbury riders have logged over 300,000 miles in the Simsbury Bike Challenge (2015-2018).
How big is the NBC? In 2018, 43,000 riders logged nearly 21 million miles in 5 months.
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2022 Simsbury Bike Challenge and Bike-to-it! Pledge
ARCHIVES - Bike-To-It! Pledge (2022)
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2021 Simsbury.Bike Finishes Strong in the National Bike Challenge
Our 50 Simsbury Bike Challenge riders logged a combined 65,627 miles and 2691 trips in the May - Sept. 2021 National Bike Challenge! In the Group/Club category, Simsbury.Bike placed first in CT and ~85%ile nationally in the large group category. Our top riders finished top 10 on the Connecticut leaderboard (174 riders) for distance, trips, and commuting. Overall, our club of greater Simsbury riders can be credited with about one third of CT’s participation in the NBC. Check out the final standings in the links below.
Congratulations to all of our riders and especially those who achieved personal goals. We are grateful for your participation, encouragement, and support of local bike advocacy. We hope you will ride with us in 2022!
2021 National Bike Challenge Results
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2020 Simsbury Bike Challenge
27 riders 40,867 miles
Simsbury.Bike had a strong finish in the May-Sept. 2020 National Bike Challenge, logging 1,617 rides and 40,867 miles! Congratulations to our top riders and those who achieved personal goals. Many thanks to our Simsbury.Bike riders for participating and supporting teammates - for all the reasons we ride - during these challenging times. Many other Simsbury riders appear on the NBC Connecticut leaderboard but were not on our team. All combined, Simsbury riders made a huge contribution to the NBC.
2020 National Bike Challenge Results
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2019 Challenge Updates
The League of American Bicyclists, in partnership with Love to Ride, is again hosting the National Bike Challenge (NBC) from May 1 though Sept. 30.
Locally, we have elected not to host our local NBC challenge, the Simsbury Bike Challenge, to give our dedicated participants a break from this fun but sometimes intense competition. We will consider reopening the Simsbury Bike Challenge in 2020. In the meantime, local riders may participate in the 2019 NBC. Local results may still post on the NBC's Simsbury page.
2018 Simsbury Bike Challenge (May 1 - 31)
6/16/18 SBC Official Results
The 2018 Simsbury Bike Challenge official results are in! Congratulations to all of our riders for an impressive month of riding. We finished as the top Community in our size class. Highlights include:
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102 local riders logged 34,000 miles
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26 bike commuters rode 141 times, saving 3,800 miles of auto emissions
Top Male Riders (most miles)
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Gary “Scarcellar” with 1639 miles
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Chris Brits with 1016 miles
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Mike Giunta with 883 miles
Top Females (most miles)
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Anne Scott with 895 miles
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Karen Anastasio with 750 miles
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Joanna Toothaker with 563 miles
Top Commuter (most days riding to work)
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Joseph Anastasio with 586 commute miles over 17 days
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Dan Carr with 510 commute miles over 15 days
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Mark Sweezy with 368 commute miles over 12 days
Top Teams (most points)
1. Valley Cycling (9th in US) - Paul Mikkelson (captain), Gary Scarcella, Mike Giunta, Mike Ignatowicz, Bob Clark, Joe Anastasio, Matt Naughton
2. Valley Cycling II (25th in US) – George Guirgis (captain), Peter Vincenzo, Rick Stepanov, Ron Beliveau, Jim Spillane, Karen Anastasio, Robert Hertel, Jon Arn
Complete results can be found here:
2018 NBC results local state national
2018 Simsbury Bike Challenge list of donors and prizes
These results strive to be the best representation of available data, rely on honor-code reporting, and may be impacted by technical irregularities or other factors. Please contact challenge@simsbury.bike to report errors.
Prize Drawing winners:
We award prizes by random drawing to thank our local SBC riders for supporting a bicycle friendly Simsbury and the National Bike Challenge. Many thanks to our generous local businesses.
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Simsbury Meadows – 2 general admission tickets to Simsbury Solstice Terrapin concert June 23 [Adam Holden]
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The Bicycle Cellar – bike tune-up [Andy Child]
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Bicycle Repairs Express LLC - bike tune-up [Meg Aldrich]
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Joe Pizza - $30 gift certificate [Annie Wallack]
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Manny’s Simsbury Pizza & Family Restaurant - $25 gift cert. [Anne Scott]
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Lisa’s Luna Pizza (2) - 1 large pizza [Cam Speed, Clay Krevolin]
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Ana’s Kitchen Café - $10 gift certificate [Michele Stryeski]
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Tulmeadow Farm Store (4) – Free quart ice cream [Jim Jinks, Mike Ford, Leesa Plude, Peter Vincenzo]
Winners should contact Debbie Thibodeau at Challenge@Simsbury.bike or 860-539-0538 to arrange for prize pickup.
The National Bike Challenge continues through Sept. 30. Riders can still join/log rides to compete for national prizes and awards. Currently the Simsbury page is still active, however, it is not clear that it will remain active through Sept. Thanks for riding with us!
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6/13/18 Final Call for Reviewing your Account
Final results and prize drawing winners will be posted on Friday, June 15. Please make sure your account is in order. No Zwift/trainer rides, etc.
6/10/18: A Strong Finish
Congratulations to our SBC riders! The 2018 Simsbury Bike Challenge finished May 31st with 104 riders, 16 teams, and 34,400 logged miles. Nationally, our Community finished first in our size class. Two local teams advanced to the Final Sprint and placed 9th and 25th out of 303 teams from around the country. Congratulations Valley Cycling teams I and II.
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Riders, please review your RIDES list in your profile and correct any errors. Please note that trainer/stationary bike/Zwift rides cannot be counted.
Final SBC results and announcements including standings and prize drawing winners will be posted by June 15.
The National Bike Challenge continues through Sept. 30. Riders can still join/log rides to compete for national prizes and awards. Currently the Simsbury page is still active, however, it is not clear that it will remain active through Sept.
5/30/18: End it Sight
Thurs., May 31st is the last day to ride in the Simsbury Bike Challenge. If you have any remaining rides to log manually, make sure they are logged by midnight May 31. Also, especially for our top riders [Top Male/Female (miles), Top Commuter (days)], please review your Rides list in your profile and correct any errors. Final SBC results and announcements including standings and prize drawing winners will be posted by June 15.
5/28/18: Prizes
In June we'll be awarding prizes by random drawing to thank our local SBC riders for supporting a bicycle friendly Simsbury and the National Bike Challenge. Many thanks to these generous local businesses:
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Manny's Simsbury Pizza & Family Rest
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Lisa's Luna Pizza
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Tulmeadow Farm Store
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Ana's Kitchen Cafe
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Joe Pizza
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The Bicycle Cellar
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Bicycle Repairs Express LLC
(And there could be more to come!)
5/17/18 Update
We're rolling! We are halfway through the SBC May sprint. 89 local riders have logged rides for a combined 17,000 miles! This is very impressive and well above our May 2017 numbers.
Teams: We have 15 registered teams so far with various themes and goals. Most are still looking to fill their roster with 8 riders. On the NBC website, use the RESULTS tab to see the list of teams in Simsbury Pools A and B. Click on the team name for description and member list. If you see a match or recognize a friend, then join! The NBC will recognize the top teams in each pool (total points). Additionally, the top team in each pool will be entered into a national Final Sprint competition for the last 7 days of May. Details will be provided to these teams by the NBC.
Local Prizes/Awards: We are pleased to announce that the SBC will again offer local prizes (e.g., gift certificates to local restaurants, bike gear) donated by generous business sponsors. Our local prizes will awarded through random selection of riders logging miles during the month of May. Leaders in the following categories will be recognized:
Top Teams in Simsbury Pools, Top Male (mileage), Top Female (mileage), and Top Commuter. At this time, some riders are not showing up on the male/female leaderboards. If this is not corrected by the NBC, we will make corrections manually and post the results. Given inconsistencies in how riders/apps input separate trips, we will not recognize the Top Rider (most trips) category.
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2017 Simsbury Bike Challenge (May 1 - Sept. 30)
Congratulations to our 101 Simsbury Bike Challenge (SBC) riders. Our National Bike Challenge (NBC) Team finished #27 out of 710 Teams (96%ile) and logged 101,412 miles. Many thanks to all of our SBC riders. Data from the SBC will be used to help drive funding and support for a bicycle friendly Simsbury. See links below for Challenge results and rider standings. Some notable accomplishments from the May 1-Sept. 30 Challenge season:
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Nationally, 32.4 million miles were logged by 31,500 riders in the NBC
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CT finished 21st in the NBC with 319 riders.
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Simsbury finished 41st out of 3668 Cities in the NBC (98%ile) and #1 in CT
We enjoyed seeing many SBC riders at our Oct. 10 Celebration, awarding our top riders SBC medals, and giving away lots of great prizes. Many thanks to our generous business sponsors for donating 23 awesome prizes to help keep our riders motivated throughout the challenge.
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Open Registration through Sept. 30
Registration is open for the 2017 Simsbury Bike Challenge. Adults and teens who live, work or volunteer in Simsbury are invited to join. Ride anywhere, any distance, any frequency - but if you ride, be counted! Your rides will help drive funding and support for a bicycle friendly Simsbury.
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From May 1 to Sept., 30, Simsbury is participating in the National Bike Challenge (NBC). The NBC is a free, nationwide bicycle advocacy and wellness program to encourage people to bike for transportation, fitness and recreation. Participants log the miles they bicycle and compete for prizes and awards in an online community. In Simsbury, our local advocacy group, Simsbury Free Bike, hosts a local challenge, the Simsbury Bike Challenge, within the NBC. Local riders compete in the NBC and our local challenge simultaneously, thereby supporting bike advocacy efforts at the national and local levels. In 2016 our local Challenge logged 104,000 miles and placed #1 in the U.S.! We hope you will ride with us! ​
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Join in Two Easy Steps:
1. Register for the 2017 National Bike Challenge
2. Join Strava Club "Simsbury Free Bike"
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For more information:
Step-by-step registration instructions
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​How do I log my bike rides?
Participants use Strava, an online fitness program (available as a free website and mobile app) to log their bike rides. This may be done by recording rides using the Strava app, by syncing another compatible GPS device to a Strava account, or by manually entering the data into the Strava account. Riders earn 20 points for each day they ride at least one mile, and an additional point per mile ridden.
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For Past Participants
There are a few changes for 2017, most notably, you must register for the 2017 NBC even if you participated in the past.
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Step-by-Step Registration Instructions:
1. Go to www.nationalbikechallenge.org. You will be prompted to register for the 2017 Challenge through Strava, an online fitness program, available as a website and mobile app.
2. If you don't already have a Strava account, sign up for Strava (it's free). You will be given an email confirmation link.
3. From your existing or new Strava account, you will be prompted to share your Strava info with the National Bike Challenge
4. Back in the NBC site, you will be prompted to agree to terms and conditions. You will need to check a box and hit the "I agree" button. You should now be set up in the NBC.
5. To join our local challenge, log into your Strava account. You can use the "Connect With Strava" link on the NBC site, your browser, etc. Once back in Strava, you will need to join the Strava Club "Simsbury Free Bike." You can find clubs under the Explore tab or using the Search icon. Join this club to be included in Simsbury Free Bike's Team in the National Bike Challenge. Complete leaderboards are available on the NBC site, whereas Strava only provides recent ride info.
6. Review your profile on Strava to be sure your community is listed correctly. This info. is used by the NBC to assign your points and miles to the correct community and state. (Unlike last year, you do not need to list Simsbury as your community to be included in our local challenge.)
For Past NBC/SBC Participants:
There are a few notable changes in the 2017 National Bike Challenge and Simsbury Bike Challenge:
1) Everyone must register for the 2017 NBC at www.nationalbikechallenge.org, even past participants.
2) All participants will need to join the fitness tracking program Strava, available as a website and mobile app, to log their rides. Rides may be recorded live using Strava or other compatible GPS devices, or they may be entered manually into Strava.
3) Simsbury Bike Challenge participants must join our Simsbury Free Bike Strava Club in order to be included on the Simsbury Free Bike Team in the National Bike Challenge. Adults and teens who live, work or volunteer in Simsbury may join our Strava Club/NBC Team.
4) The Simsbury Bike Challenge is competing in the NBC Team category this year . (Advocacy Challenges cannot be smaller than a county). Teams are ranked by total points.
5) Bike Walk Connecticut is hosting an NBC statewide Advocacy Challenge, and all CT NBC riders will automatically be included in their Advocacy Challenge. Advocacy Challenges are now ranked by total points per participating rider (not per 1000 residents).
For returning riders, we appreciate that change can be difficult (it is for us, too), but we are optimistic that our local challenge will return bigger and better than ever.
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Rules
*The Challenge is not intended for children under the age of 13. Users between age 13 and 18 may join the Challenge with the supervision and consent of a parent or guardian.
No stationary bike/trainer miles or throttle-assisted e-bikes, please.
Complete NBC Rules https://nationalbikechallenge.org/rules
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Prize Program
Participants of the Simsbury Bike Challenge are eligible for prizes/awards through the national prize program and our local challenge. Our local monthly prizes are awarded through random drawing, so anyone logging miles can win!
Start a Workplace Challenge
Simsbury businesses are encouraged to join the National Bike Challenge as a Workplace. Use the Challenge for teambuilding and to promote physical activity. Contact us for help getting set up.
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Learn more
See www.nationalbikechallenge.org for more information.Questions? Contact challenge@simsbury.bike.
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2016 Simsbury Bike Challenge (May 1 - Sept. 30)
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2016 Results:
The Simsbury Bike Challenge finished as the #1 Advocacy Challenge in the National Bike Challenge with 202 registered riders logging a combined 105,900 miles! Check out our results page for our top riders' standings at the local, state and national level. We have an amazing bike community. Congratulations!
Please join us on October 20th at Maple Tree Café, 6-8 pm, for our Simsbury Bike Challenge Celebration with lite fare, recognition awards, and final prize drawings. RSVP by Oct. 16 to challenge@simsbury.bike.
Your feedback is important. Please complete our 3-minute survey to share your thoughts about the 2016 SBC.
We want to thank all of our sponsors for donating generaous prizes, and especially all of our riders for making their rides count. We plan to present these results to our town officials as a testament to the importance of bicycling to the Simsbury community. Please consider volunteering with Simsbury Free Bike or the Simsbury Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee to further support our bicycle advocacy efforts or get involved with the local cycling community. We have volunteer opportunities that can match your interests and availability.ge will return for a third year, bigger and better than ever.
We Challenge You to Ride for Simsbury
If you are an adult or teen who lives, works or volunteers in Simsbury, join us in riding for Simsbury in the National Bike Challenge! Ride anywhere, any distance, any frequency - but if you ride, be counted! Your rides will help drive funding and support for a bicycle friendly Simsbury, plus you could win cool prizes just for participating!
From May 1 to Sept. 30, Simsbury is participating in the National Bike Challenge (NBC), a free, nationwide bicycle advocacy and wellness program to encourage people to bike for transportation, fitness and recreation. Participants log the miles they bicycle, and compete for prizes and awards with local and national riders. Simsbury is competing in the NBC with a local challenge, the Simsbury Bike Challenge. In 2015 our local Challenge logged 64,000 miles and placed #5 in the U.S.!
To join the Simsbury Bike Challenge, go to www.nationalbikechallenge.org and register using your Simsbury zip code (06070, 06092, 06089, 06081) from home or work. Join anytime during the Challenge (May to Sept.). Some past rides can even be logged! Miles may be logged online manually or by syncing to one of three apps: Strava (recommended), MapMyRide, and Endomondo. No stationary bike/trainer miles, please.
The Challenge is not intended for children under the age of 13. Users between age 13 and 18 may join the Challenge with the supervision and consent of a parent or guardian.
SBC Prize Program
Participants of the Simsbury Bike Challenge are eligible for prizes and awards through our local challenge and the NBC. For the SBC, we will be awarding prizes through random drawing of participants logging rides during the corresponding prize period (e.g. preceding month). Our monthly prize drawings are scheduled for: June 1, July 1, August 1, Sept 1, and Oct 1. Be sure to log at least one ride each month to be eligible for all of the monthly prize drawings. Monthly prize winners will be ineligible for subsequent monthly drawings. Additionally, we hope to offer a grand prize drawing at the end of the Challenge for participants with at least on logged ride. Simsbury Free Bike leadership and Simsbury Bike Pedestrian Advisory Committee members are ineligible for Simsbury Bike Challenge prize drawings. All prizes are subject to change.
2016 SBC prizes sponsors include:
The Bicycle Cellar, Body Over Bike, RidgeLine Bikes of Avon, Bikers Edge, Eastern Mountain Sports Avon, Bicycle Repairs Express LLC, Velo Legitimus, Farmington Valley Trails Council, Simsbury Farms Pro Shop and Golf Course. Onion Mountain Kitchen, Harvest Cafe & Bakery, Joe Pizza, Little City Pizza, Maple Tree Cafe, Simsbury Inn, Metro Bis Restaurant, The Simsbury 1820 House, Popover Bistro & Bakery, Road ID, and Naturally Fast.
Start a Workplace Challenge
Simsbury businesses are encouraged to join the National Bike Challenge as a Workplace. Use the Challenge for teambuilding and to promote physical activity/wellness. For more information on how to host a workplace Challenge, see the resources below and/or contact simsburybikechallenge@gmail.com.
2016 Workplace Challenge Resources
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SBC info sheet for Workplaces ( how to enroll Workplace, how employees enroll, etc.)
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SBC Benefits of Cycling poster (health, $, environment, etc.)
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Bike Commuting Forum 4/26 - poster
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SBC Kickoff event 4/30 - poster (at Historical Society with Innovation Fair)
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Bike Maintenance Class 5/18 (signup at Simsbury Public Library)
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Bike to Work Day 5/20 - poster
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Bike Walk CT Share the Road pamphlets (can provide hardcopies)
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SBC rack cards (limited availability)
See www.nationalbikechallenge.org for complete NBC rules and information on their prize program.
To join the Simsbury Bike Challenge, go to www.nationalbikechallenge.org.
For more information, contact challenge@simsbury.bike.
2015 Results:
Our Local Challenge finished #5 in the country (#1 in the Northeast) with 106 registered riders logging 64,182 miles! Take a look at the Results page to see how our Local Challenge, top riders, and community performed in the National Bike Challenge. We plan to present these results to our town officials as a testament to the importance of bicycling to Simsbury residents.
We want to thank all of our sponsors for donating generaous prizes, and especially all of our riders for making their rides count. Please consider volunteering with Simsbury Free Bike or the Simsbury Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee to further support our bicycle advocacy efforts or get involved with the local cycling community. We have volunteer opportunities that can match your interests and availability.
2015 CHALLENGE LOGGING/VIEWING TIPS
2015 CHALLENGE CELEBRATION OCT 14
2015 SIMSBURY BIKE CHALLENGE RESULTS
2015 SIMSBURY BIKE CHALLENGE SPONSORS
To join the Simsbury Bike Challenge, go to www.nationalbikechallenge.org.
For more information, contact challenge@simsbury.bike.
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