Our third and final round of the Bell True Fit twitter contest is complete! We’ve reached 900 followers on twitter, and as promised the time has come to select a follower (at random) to receive a free Bell True Fit helmet!

With this new milestone, we’re also donating five brand new True Fit helmets to the folks at San Jose Bike Party, to help them continue building a strong bicycle community. Located in Bell Sports’ backyard, the group organizes themed, monthly rides through the city of San Jose, CA and this month The Orange Ride starts at 8pm on Friday, January 21, 2011. They’re encouraging participants to come to the party decked out in orange colors. Be sure to check out the San Jose Bike Party on facebook and twitter @SJBikeParty for more information.

Of course, we remain dedicated to our loyal and motivated customers, so we’re also giving away a True Fit helmet to one of our 900+ followers. OK, so the winner of the final, Round 3 is … drum roll please … Dina L (@DinaJ). Congratulations and thanks for following @BellTrueFit! Please pick a Bell True Fit size, and whether you’d like a boy’s/men’s or girl’s/women’s helmet (visit our Products page for helmet options), and then DM us your email on twitter so we can get your address to mail your free new helmet!

THANK YOU to everyone who re-tweeted and encouraged friends to follow in the first, second and third round. You all really are the engine that keeps us moving forward in making new connections in the cycling and helmet advocacy communities.

As 2010 comes to a close and everyone starts mentally preparing for their New Year’s resolutions, we’d like to take a look back at a year that was quite momentous for the greater cycling community. Cities found a renewed focus on alternative transportation, inventors unveiled new bicycle innovations, and people, companies and organizations across the country displayed unparalleled philanthropy. Let’s take a look back at some of the best stories, covered on this blog and elsewhere, that shaped our tight-knit community (and the World!) over the last year.

• A good place to start is with Bicycles for Humanity (B4H), the grassroots organization that empowers people to improve their quality of life through donated bicycles, who recently announced they shipped a total of 5,215 bikes (along with spare parts and tools) to impoverished African communities in 2010. Check out some of the other accomplishments B4H reported this year at PR.com.
• Along those same lines, an 8-year-old girl in Washington recently made a generous donation. Tori Wollard was one of two winners of the Washington Daily News’ Christmas coloring contest. Her prize: a brand new bike from Wal-Mart. The first thing Tori did when she got the bike: donated it to The Salvation Army so it could be given to a needy girl! When asked what motivated her to donate her prize, Tori said, “I thought maybe a little girl who’s probably the same age as me probably couldn’t afford one.” Now that’s the true Christmas spirit. Read the entire article Washington winner shares the spirit of Christmas (Mike Voss, Washington Daily News)
• There were  four particular bike and helmet related inventions that piqued our interest this year: the Bamboo bike, the Bendy Bike, the TuneBug Shake, and the innagural Bicycle City.
  • Bamboo bikes are manufactured by several companies across the county, but the folks at Bamboo Bike Studio offer something completely different. With firms in San Francisco and Brooklyn, they host weekend classes where people can build a bike made from bamboo themselves! Some say bamboo bikes actually have an advantage over metal-framed ones – they give a smoother ride, thanks to bamboo’s natural ability to absorb vibration (plus you’ll get points for going green). For more information read Bamboo Bicycles Grow in Popularity at Brooklyn Studio (Bradley Blackburn, ABC News)
  • Back in July a designer in Britain invented a revolutionary folding bicycle: The Bendy Bike. Using a ratchet system built into the frame of the bike to allow it to wrap around a pole, the lock can be wrapped through both wheels and the frame. Check out the pictures at DailyMail.co.uk
  • The TuneBug Shake is a portable speaker, with “SurfaceSound” technology. What is that, you ask? It uses a specially designed speaker that turns anything it lays on into a louder, larger-sounding speaker. Tunebug’s Shake is specifically designed to attach to a bike helmet, turning it into a booming speaker! Plus, this will save your ears later pains from those ear buds and relieve you for the dangers of listening to headphones while riding. Read Five fresh gadgets for the tech-minded for more info on the TuneBug Shake (Quibian Salazar-Moreno, Boulder Weekly.com)
  • Bicycle City, South Carolina: We covered this back in November, but wanted to provide an update: According to a report in Columbia’s weekly newspaper freetimes, on Dec. 11, 2010 Bicycle City (located in Lexington, SC) showcased its plans to the public with an all day event including biking, hiking, kayaking, live music, tree planting and organic gardening and much more. We’re happy to see that this is taking off, and we’re looking forward to watching this community develop in 2011.
• In St. Louis, MO the Federal Transit Administration recently said it would award $1 million to the Metro transit agency for bicycle pathway connections along the Mississippi River and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, or Gateway Arch. FTA awards $1M for Arch bike pathway (St. Louis Business Journal)
• The above example is just one of many, many similar stories from across the country where cities and municipalities made moves to expand the use of bicycles in their communities. Read our June 2010 blog post Bikes & Goverment for a look at some of the things that governments are doing to promote cycling.
• If your New Year’s resolution is to get in shape, consider starting 2011 with a bike ride. Spoke-N-Sport Bikes in Sioux Falls, SD is set to host their 24th New Year’s Day Bike Ride. New this year is an added indoor competition that is separate from the regular ride. Competitors will race each other on stationary trainers, and the winner goes home with one of the single speed bikes used for the race. Visit http://spoke-n-sport.com/ for more information.
• There are events like this taking place across the country, but if you can’t find something in your town, don’t let that discourage you. Go out and forge a new path for yourself! Take a new route that you haven’t gone on before. Or maybe add a few miles onto your traditional ride. Whatever you decide to do, be safe and don’t forget to wear your Bell helmet! Enjoy!
• For a look at some of the top cycling-related news out of Britain,  be sure to read the Environmental Transport Association’s Most popular cycling stories in 2010. The Guiness World Record-shattering eight-mile bicycle wheelie is pretty astounding, as is the idea of using the TamTam Flash GPS … expect to see that in 2011.

We hope you all had a great 2010 and have an even better 2011. Happy New Year!

Free helmets, bicycle tours, bikes taking over the streets of Los Angeles, President Obama and The Bike Helmet Wars, and much more in this week’s installment of Week In Review: Bike News & Reviews from Around the World.

•  October 9: Critics of President Obama said he looked like a “dork” and an “unmanly wimp” after he was photographed wearing a helmet while cycling in Chicago in 2008 (pictured above) and Martha’s Vineyard just last month.  Well we say, “right on” Mr. President. By wearing a helmet, not only are you setting a great example for children and adults throughout the world, but you are also showing great judgment by protecting your head. Plus, we’re glad to see that you choose to wear a Bell Helmet! Read the full story at The Bike Helmet Wars (Virginia Postrel, The Wall Street Journal)
• October 10: The 2011 Amgen Tour of California is officially coming to Lake Tahoe. With ski resorts Northstar-at-Tahoe and Squaw Valley USA involved, riders will now take a ride around Lake Tahoe during the first stage, and will have to climb and descent Donner Pass, which reaches an elevation of 7,085 feet! Get the whole story at Major bicycle tour coming to Tahoe (Adam Jensen, The Record-Courier)
• October 11: Over the past eight years, Amscot Financial Partners has given away more than 30,000 free bike helmets to families living in Central Florida. The company is partnering with law enforcement agencies from 13 Florida counties to make sure that children get this vital protection. They will donate and distribute 7,200 free bike helmets on Oct. 23 in counties where Amscot does business. For more information on how to obtain helmets, contact Montrae Waiters, governmental affairs specialist for Amscot at (813) 637-6277. Check out the full announcement with events details and a list of locations at Amscot Financial Partners with Law Enforcement to Distribute 7,200 Bike Helmets in 13 Central Florida Counties. (PRNewswire.com)
• October 11: A 7 1/2 -mile stretch of road from East Hollywood through downtown Los Angeles and into Boyle Heights was over-run with an estimated 100,000 bicyclists, runners, walkers, skateboarders and roller-bladers for L.A.’s first CicLAvia.  This “open-street” day prohibited automobiles, and was intended to promote cycling and other forms of transportation. The concept of the ciclovia, which is Spanish for bicycle path is how organizers came up with the name CicLAvia. Organizers are in the early stages of planning four or five open-street days next year and one every month in 2012, with the ultimate goal to make CicLAvia a weekly event. For additional details visit An estimated 100,000 turn out for L.A.’s inaugural CicLAvia event (Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times)
• In case you missed it: Tony Hawk’s Stand Up For Skateparks event in Beverly Hills takes place on October 17 … this Sunday! The Tony Hawk Foundation’s mission is to bring free, quality public skateparks to youth in low-income areas across the United States. This year as a co-sponsor of the event, Bell Sports is sending along trucker hats, stickers, helmets and pads to be given away to attendees. For more info on the event check out our last post Tony Hawk’s Stand Up For Skateparks Hits LA., Las Vegas

It’s been a while since we reported on the most compelling bike and helmet-related stories from around the web, but today we’re back to quench your thirst for velo news with another installment of our Week In Review series.

From a revolutionary chainless bicycle in Hungary to a couple who’s biking across the United States (and then through South America), biking is all over the news this week.

• Sept. 20, 2010: A Hungarian design team has unveiled a new chainless bike, powered by steel wires, that easily disassembles and can be organized for touring or racing. Dubbed the “Stringbike” – this game-changing technology uses two steel cables attached to pulleys, which move on swinging kidney-shaped discs as you pedal. Check out the video animation of how the bike works at Chainless Bicycle Uses Wire and Pulley System, Eliminating Grease and Increasing Cool Factor (Rebecca Boyle, PopSci.com)
• Sept. 23, 2010: Chico State and Luther College graduates fulfill their dreams of riding bikes across the country. Their ultimate objective is to bike the length of South America after traveling to the east coast. They plan to fly with their bikes to Ecuador and ride south. Find out more about their travels at Modern-day vagabonds bicycle across country (Dennis Nartker, Fort Wayne Daily News)
• Sept. 22, 2010: In an effort to promote walking and cycling in Los Angeles, a 7.5-mile stretch of city streets will be closed Oct. 10 to all motor vehicles. Starting at the nonprofit Bicycle Kitchen (706 Heliotrope Drive, just north of Melrose Avenue) the route meanders south and east through the Mid City area and ends at Hollenbeck Park. Streets will be closed to cars from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m Streets may close for bicycles (Rick Orlov, Contra Costa Times)

And, closer to home, in the Bay Area:

• Sept. 22, 2010: The league of American bicyclists issued awards to a handful of Bay Area cities for being the most bicycle friendly communities.   San Francisco, the Presidio, Palo Alto and Stanford University each were awarded gold. The top platinum award was given to Davis, California, as well as Boulder, Colorado and Portland, Oregon. Bay Area has top bicycle friendly communities (ABC 7 News)
• Sept. 23, 2010: Speaking of San Francisco, New Belgium’s Tour de Fat celebrates its fifth year in the city this fall. Events for this so-called “traveling, philanthropic cycling carnival” include a bike parade and a Car-for-Bike Trade Celebration. The events take place in Lindley Meadows in Golden Gate Park. Check out the Ten Commandments of the Tour de Fat and read Bike About Town (SFgate.com) for more information.

The bicycle festivities are definitely in effect on Saturday in Arkansas with the Bentonville Annual Bike Rodeo.

Promoting cycling safety for all ages, B2 Bicycle Blast on the Bentonville Square kicks off with a bike rodeo from 9am-Noon. Then the bicycle parade begins.

Never heard of a bike rodeo before? Well we’ve discussed them many times on the Bell True Fit blog including a Fast Fact’s Friday feature back in June, Did you know? The Rodeo Isn’t Just for Cowboys … but if you’re still unsure, a bike rodeo is basically a clinic that helps teach children the importance of riding a bicycle safely and what skills and precautions they need to develop to have a safe time on their bicycles.

And what better way to learn than in the midst of the world’s top BMX professionals?

During the rodeo Team Self Destruct will be putting on bike stunt shows at 10am, 10:45am, and 11:30am.

If you or your kid is interested in meeting a few of the biggest names in BMX and motorsports, there’s an all-star lineup attending and signing autographs including:

• Extreme sports legend Travis Pastrana
• Nike BMX Team rider Mike Spinner
• Professional BMX Racer Danny Robinson
• Professional downhill mountain bike racer and freestyle rider Jim DeChamp

Bell is taking part in the event as well: We’re donating 300 water bottles for giveaways to the registered Bike Rodeo participants, and we’ve donated some of the lender helmets for participants as well.

If you see a Bell Sports logo at one of the booths come stop by and say hello!

For more information on the event visit Bentonville Annual Bike Rodeo on facebook and follow @BVILLEBIKERODEO on twitter for real-time updates.

We hope to see you there!

We’ve reached more than 800 followers on twitter, and as promised the time has come to select a follower (at random) to receive a free Bell True Fit helmet!

With this milestone, we’re also donating five brand new True Fit helmets to Bike Cops for Kids in Minneapolis to help them in their effort to connect cops and kids using bike safety, helmets, and bikes.

City Hall, Down Town San Jose

Big thanks to everyone who re-tweeted and encouraged friends to follow. You all really are the engine that keeps us moving forward in making new connections.

OK, so the winner of Round 2 is … drum roll please … Toni Patton (@Totally_Toni). Congratulations!

Thanks for participating! Please pick a Bell True Fit size, and whether you’d like a boy’s/men’s or girl’s/women’s helmet (visit our Products page for helmet options), and then DM us your email on twitter so we can get your address to mail your free new helmet!

We still have two more rounds of free-helmet giveaways to complete, and we hope that everyone will continue to re-tweet for the chance to win.

For Round 3, when we reach 900 followers, we’ll donate five helmets to San Jose Bike Party – the organization dedicated to building community through bicycling.

Let there be bikes! SJ Bike Party

If you missed our posts on the first and second rounds, here’s how it works: Follow @BellTrueFit on twitter and be automatically entered to win a new Bell True Fit bike helmet!

Each time we reach another 100 followers, we’ll randomly select one of our followers to send a new Bell True Fit helmet to! Plus, each time we reach another 100 followers we’ll donate five helmets to an organization that is dedicated to helmet advocacy and bike safety. We’ll be giving helmets away when we reach 900 followers.

So keep on tweeting, and please encourage your followers to follow @BellTrueFit so we can reach our goals that much sooner!

Here’s what you can tweet: Follow @BellTrueFit – we’re giving away True Fit bike helmets as we reach 900 followers! Please RT http://bit.ly/amXY8A

And be sure to check out the San Jose Bike Party on facebook and twitter @SJBikeParty as well.

A report came out this week that the federal government increased spending on cycling (and walking) initiatives by more than $400 million in 2009. In 2008 spending on such projects was less than $600 million, but the Obama administration has rapidly increased total spending to roughly $1.2 billion using funds set aside under the economic recovery program. Today’s Fast Facts Friday takes another look at what governments are doing to promote biking projects.  

1) The number of reported walking trips has more than doubled from 18 billion in 1990 to 42.5 billion in 2009. Bicycling trips saw a similar increase, from 1.7 billion to 4 billion during the same period. Together, the two modes account for 11.9 percent of all reported trips by Americans. Still, biking is less than 1 percent of the total. With an increased reliance on bicycle transportation, the bump in spending on biking projects could not have come at a better time. (Telegraph.co.uk)

2) In response to the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, the president has issued a six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling. In response to the whole situation, the folks over at SF Streets Blog conclude that we can offset the moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico by driving 20 percent less. Central to their plan on how this can be achieved is an increase in political action to develop bicycle systems. Jason Henderson writes, “… in the short-term, there is a quick, cheap, and nimble solution to help get us to 20 percent reductions in driving — bicycles. Bicycles do not require expensive, long-term capital investment. A bicycle system can be developed rapidly. Unlike transit systems, a bicycle system does not require large operating costs.” (SF.StreetsBlog.org)

3) In one major US city, this type of action is well underway. Mayor Sam Adams has vowed to make Portland “the most sustainable city in the world.” Adams has worked toward allocating $20 million to help kick-start the city’s bicycle master plan, which includes the development of “bicycle boulevards.” These “boulevards” take bike lanes to the next level and are made by building curb extensions to slow traffic to make neighborhood streets safer for bikes. Check OregonLive.com for a photo. (FastCompany.com)

4) Washington DC is promoting its newly-named bike-share program, “Capitol Bikeshare,” and asking for suggestions from the public on where to put the actual bike-share stations. The program will expand bike sharing beyond the DC to Arlington, VA and will bump up the number of stations to 114, with more than 1,000 bikes. Under the plan, people could rent a bike for short trip then drop it off at another station. People can fill out the online survey to make suggestions of where all those bikes should be. (WashingtonExaminer.com)

5) Safe Kids USA has a broad and deep grassroots network with over 360 state and local Safe Kids coalitions. As a part of their goal to prevent accidental childhood injury, they suggest that parents properly fit their child’s helmet and ensure they always wear it when riding, skating or scooting. Their website offers tons of great tips and useful information on Bicycling and Skating Safety, as well as an interactive map to find a Safe Kids coalition in your area. Bell Sports and Safe Kids are partners in keeping children safe around bicycles, skates, and other wheel-related injuries.

Are there any inspiring bike programs in your city? Do you know of a any initiatives to help promote ciking? What do you think of the SF Streets Blog idea?

Tell us how you feel on twitter @BellTrueFit, or leave a message below!

The bicycle community really is a giving place. As you might have seen on this blog from time to time, we’re pretty fond of giving back to the people who support Bell Sports. And we’re not alone. The fact of the matter is: there are a ton of bike-related online contests and giveaways taking place today and every day. At any given time businesses, media, and bloggers are posting ripe bike and bike helmet giveaways for the picking. So on this Fast Fact’s Friday we’d like to highlight some cool opportunities currently taking place and help you find free stuff:

1) At Frugal Family Fun, mother of three and college student Lisa Moore Gee is reviewing and giving away a Bell True Fit helmet! To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on her blog here. But don’t stop there, Lisa offers multiple ways to enter: a) Follow @FrugalFamilyFun  or @BellTrueFit on Twitter and then leave a comment on the blog with your twitter name, b) Tweet about this giveaway including the link to it (http://ow.ly/1W0gM) and  also be sure to include @BellTrueFit or @FrugalFamilyFun.
Lisa offered this tweet for you to use: “Win a @BellTrueFit Helmet from @frugalfamilyfun http://ow.ly/1W0gM”

Not on Twitter? Well, there are a few more ways to enter also. Visit the blog to find out how.

2) The DC Bike Giveaway taking place over at Sneaker Freaker Magazine is pretty hilarious. A tangy orange DC Fixie bike is up for grabs, and to enter the contest all you have to do is send a picture with your favorite orange thing in the world to info@sneakerfreaker.com. You must be a member of Sneaker Freaker to enter. If you aren’t yet, no worries – GO HERE and register (for FREE of course). Entries close July 1, 2010. Need some inspiration on what sorts of orange things you should take a photo with?  Check out the current entries here. Keep up with this contest and look for future giveaways by following on @snkrfrkrmag on Twitter. 

3) From 11am – 3pm ET on Saturday, June 12 the NYC Department of Transportation is hosting a Bicycle Safety and Helmet Program where they’ll be giving away free bicycle helmets to visitors of all ages (while supplies last). You’ll learn how to properly fit and wear your helmet before receiving one. While the NYC DOT is offering helmet education, there will simultaneously be a kids’ bicycle swap taking place. Presented by Recycle-A-Bicycle, children who have outgrown their bicycles (or have extra gently-used bikes to donate) are invited to bring their bike to Socrates Sculpture Park and swap it in exchange for another gently-used bike. All children’s bikes in working order and without gears are welcome at the event. At approximately 2:45pm, any unclaimed bicycles will be donated on a first-come first serve basis. Check out the event on Facebook. (QueensMamas.com)

4) Over at RaisingMy4Sons, they’re reviewing and giving away a Strider Balance bike. Designed for children, ages 1 – 5, the Strider™ PREbike is lightweight, easy to control and features an adjustable seat and handlebars to accommodate a growing child. Most importantly, the Strider teaches your child balance, coordination and develops confidence … all without pedals! According to Raising My 4 Sons’ Mandee, the Strider Sports PREbike is more than a bike – “it’s an on and off-road child mobility product”.

Entering the contest to win this bike is easy, simply visit the Strider Website and then leave a comment on Mandee’s  review telling her something you learned about the Strider PREbike. (It’s that simple!) After you’ve done that, there are a few more ways submit multiple entries. One way is to simply tweet “WIN a FREE Balance Bike from Strider $110 Value! @RaisingMy4Sons http://bit.ly/a6Keen”.

 Be sure to follow @RaisingMy4Sons for future giveaways.

Are you conducting some sort of bicycle or helmet-related contest? Is there a helmet fitting/giveaway in your area? We’d love to hear about them and feature your contests/events in a future blog post, so follow us @BellTrueFit on twitter, or leave a message below!

Stage 3 of the 2010 Tour of California. San Francisco to Santa Cruz. May 18, 2010
Photo courtesy of bissellcycling – flickr

For the last six years California has played host to one of the most prestigious and largest cycling races in the United States: the AMGEN Tour of California.

The eight-day race covers 650-700 miles of California, winding through dense redwoods, foothills, valleys, and of course alongside some of the state’s most beautiful beaches. This year’s event, which started on May 16 in the old Northern California gold mining town of Nevada City, ends on May 23 in the sunny Southern California town of Thousand Oaks. For complete route and stage info visit the Stages page of the AMGEN Tour of California website.

Here are some interesting (and fast) facts about this year’s tour:

•  Tour of California organizers seek to make the race a preparatory event for the Tour de France, and for 2011 the Tour will officially become an International Cycling Union (UCI) event. (Wikipedia.com)
• This year, Stage 3 of the Tour took cyclists 113.3 miles (mostly along the Pacific Coast) from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. Bell is located in the city of Scotts Valley, which neighbors its old Santa Cruz stomping grounds. A crowd of 20,000 gathered near the iconic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk where the riders completed the third stage. The Boardwalk was one of several major sponsors of this year’s race, providing $185,000 of the total $245,000 it took to put on the event. (CityOnAHillPress.com)
• At kickoff, the 2010 Tour of California was highlighted by the participation of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. However, Armstrong will not complete this year’s Tour. He exited the race yesterday after a nasty spill that left the fan favorite with bruises and a few fresh stitches, but no longstanding or substantial injury or broken bones. For more info and a picture of his eye, click here: (RoadCycling.com)
• Steve Morabito, a rider with Santa Rosa-based BMC Racing (sponsored by Easton Bell Sports), continued his climb up the overall standings yesterday by finishing 12th on Stage 5 while two of his other team riders (Simon Zahner and Chad Beyer) were involved in the crash that knocked a total of five riders, including Armstrong, out of the Amgen Tour of California Thursday. (BMC Racing Team)

(Tim de Waele photo via BMC Team Racing)

Did you attend this year’s Tour of California? Have you attended in the past? If so we’d love to hear your stories!

May is a month of bike mania! Yes, it’s National Bike Month – which includes Bike to Work Day and Week – but it’s also a time for communities to celebrate the people who have shown dedication to cycling and alternative transportation.

Despite bad weather, injury, and long commutes, these pedal pushers keep the wheels turning. And even some communities have done so much to promote cycling that they too have earned prestigious awards.

Here are just a few of the award winning cyclists and communities from around the USA:

1)  Every day during the academic year, math and natural history teacher Ken Hoffman rides his bike two miles from his home on West Street to Hampshire College. And he’s been doing it since the school opened 40 years ago. Hoffman will be recognized for his commitment to alternative transportation during Amherst’s observance of Bike Commute Week next Wednesday. He will be the first recipient of the Arthur Swift Memorial Bicycle Commuter Award, named for the late UMass professor who was a key advocate for the Norwottuck Rail Trail and the connector along University Drive. (AmherstBulletin.com)

2) Alameda County’s 2010 Bike Commuter of the Year totes electric grinders, saws, braces, scissors and the occasional prosthetic limb to work on her bike, rain or shine. T.D. Fisher logs as many as 30 miles a day round trip on her bike commute to and from work. Fisher works for Oakland’s Center for Independent Rehabilitative Services, visiting schools, therapy units and other institutions to fit patients, often children, for braces and other devices. Fisher was awarded Alameda County’s top bicycle commuter for 2010 by the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. (InsideBayArea.com)

3) While not an individual, the city of Rochester, MN as a whole gets a mention on this list for recently winning the Bicycle Friendly Communities Award from the League of American Bicyclists. Not an easy award to win! (PostBulletin.com)

4) Snohomish County, Wash., was among the winners in the 2010 Governor’s Commute Smart Awards, presented recently at the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia, for their Curb the Congestion program that was designed to reduce traffic congestion. For 2010 they also introduced an online, monthly incentive award program where participants can log their alternative trips to qualify for prizes. Nancy Gay was the first monthly incentive award winner for the new program, and she received $250 for her participation and dedication to help “curb the congestion”. Participants who log at least 12 days of trips during April, May and June can qualify for the quarterly incentive award of $1,000 to be drawn in July. Monthly and quarterly incentives will be awarded on an ongoing basis. (SnohomishTimes.com)

5) Congratulations to the South Bay Bicycle Coalition which was recently awarded two grants totaling $246,000 from the county of Los Angeles and the Beach Cities Health District. The grants will create a Master Bicycle Plan for seven supporting South Bay communities – Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Lawndale, Gardena and Torrance. The coalition is organizing the first South Bay CEO/Celebrity Cycle-To-Work Challenge, asking local CEOs and celebrities to join in. Here’s the pledge: Personally ride to work on May 20 or another designated day during Bike-to-Work Week, encourage your employees to ride and host a “Celebration Station” to reward participation at your business. (DailyBreeze.com)

We’d love to hear from anyone participating in the CEO/Celebrity Cycle-To-Work Challenge, and photos from the event are always welcome!

Are there any cycling awards given out, or events hosted, by your community? If so we’d love to hear about them!