PRESS RELEASE : Cranksgiving bike ride combines donation drive and scavenger hunt for a good cause.
Cranksgiving bike ride combines donation drive and scavenger hunt for a good cause.
11/15/16, Baton Rouge, LA
Bike Baton Rouge, a local non-profit organization, is inviting the community to join them for the second annual Cranksgiving bike ride on November 20 at City Park. The event will benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and will include a special donation to the Baton Rouge Police Department.
“Cranksgiving is a really fun way to get involved and to do some good, and with the flood damage that the Food Bank received, there is no better time to do that,” said Mika Torkkola, Bike Baton Rouge president.
Last year’s Cranksgiving was the first in Baton Rouge, but the event has a long history with its origins in New York City in 1999. In 2015, eighty events were held around the country throughout November.
Cranksgiving participants need only to bring a bicycle, a lock, and about $20 to spend at five grocery stores around Baton Rouge. A map to those stores and a five item shopping list will be provided, and participants will have two hours to make their purchases and get back to City Park. An average participant will ride around ten miles.
A family friendly option of about five miles is also available, and is suitable for riders of all ages.
Registration for Cranksgiving is free and will be open between 1:00 pm and 1:45 pm. At 1:30pm, Bike Baton Rouge will be presenting the East Baton Rouge Police Department with a special donation of bike lights.
“We will donate 500 LED lights to the Baton Rouge Police Department for our continued commitment to help Light up the Night in Baton Rouge,” said Samantha Morgan, board member of Bike Baton Rouge. “We hope this program will continue to educate people about the importance of riding with lights at night, as well as get them in the hands of people who need them.”
On May 20, 2016, Bike Baton Rouge made its first donation of 100 lights to the Baton Rouge Police Department with the agreement that the agency would give the lights to anyone they see riding without lights rather than issuing a ticket. Riding a bike in Louisiana at night without lights is illegal.
Membership fees and private donations have helped pay for a total of 300 lights. But the donation at Cranksgiving will be the largest yet, thanks to a generous donation from a Bike Baton Rouge member and his employer, Exxon-Mobil.
“At ExxonMobil, safety is always our top value. We’re honored to support Bike Baton Rouge’s efforts to provide additional bike lights to the Baton Rouge Police Department,” explained ExxonMobil Public & Government Affairs Manager Stephanie Cargile. “This donation is the result of hours volunteered by our employees, matched with grants from the ExxonMobil Foundation.”
After Cranksgiving, Bike Baton Rouge will host a dinner and awards ceremony.
Prizes, provided by Bike Baton Rouge as well as local bike stores and restaurants, will be awarded across three categories of riders - Fast, Fun, and Family. While the fastest riders in each category will receive prizes, there will also be prizes for those who spend the most, the least, and those who are the slowest. Bike Baton Rouge says that Cranksgiving is “only a race if you want it to be.”
bikebr.org/cranksgiving
https://www.facebook.com/events/1802618039978521/
Media are invited to preview or cover the event - call Mika Torkkola at 225 571 2906 or email bikebatonrouge@gmail.com for scheduling or information
Bike Baton Rouge is a local non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization and has been dedicated to making bicycling trips in Baton Rouge safer and more enjoyable since 2006.
2015 Cranksgiving
PRESS RELEASE : Bike Baton Rouge to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month
10/4/16, Baton Rouge, LA
Bike Baton Rouge, a local non-profit organization, is partnering with the Southern University Agricultural Research & Extension Center to raise awareness and funds for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Bike Baton Rouge will be supporting the 10th Annual Pink Party with a Purpose with a ‘Pink Bike Ride’ at this year's event, which will be held on Friday November 4 at Southern University's main campus. Bike Baton Rouge will also donate $5 from each new membership which includes a pink Bike Baton Rouge T-shirt, and $3 from each individual T-shirt sale.
“Women respond better to treatment both when supported by community and when getting regular exercise," said Jessica Stroope, a Bike Baton Rouge member and volunteer who counts breast cancer survivors amongst both her friends and family. "Bicycling with friends is an ideal way to do that - residential streets and designated bike routes are the perfect way to explore our city, get some exercise, and deepen connections with friends."
Getting regular exercise can be tougher than it sounds - statistics from the League of American Bicyclists show that female bicyclists are less likely to choose to bike on roads without bicycle infrastructure, noting that on average, women will travel five minutes more than men to access a bicycle facility such as a bike lane or trail. Bike Baton Rouge hopes its recently released Baton Rouge Bike Map (bikebr.org/map) will be a quick and easy resource to find safe ways to get around Baton Rouge by bicycle.
Bike Baton Rouge's memberships and T-shirts are available on its website (http://bikebr.org/merchandise/) as well as at at the Pink Party with a Purpose event.
http://bikeleague.org/content/increased-comfort-more-women-biking
Mika Torkkola
225 571 2906
bikebatonrouge@gmail.com
Bike Baton Rouge is a local non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization and has been dedicated to making bicycling trips in Baton Rouge safer and more enjoyable since 2006.
Bike Baton Rouge members and volunteers at the State Capitol in April 2016
Press release : Bike Baton Rouge Parks over 400 bikes at April Festivals
4/18/16
Baton Rouge, LA
By the end of the Louisiana Earth Day Festival on Sunday, April 17, Bike Baton Rouge volunteers parked a total of 409 bikes through FestForAll, Blues Fest and Earth Day.
Bike Baton Rouge provides free Valet Bike Parking at these and other events. The 409 bikes parked through April broke Bike Baton Rouge’s previous bike parking record for the three festivals combined.
Bike Baton Rouge Parking Coordinator Doug Moore said, “By providing free, conveniently-located bike parking, we hope to encourage people to bike to the festivals downtown instead of driving. It is our hope that after biking to a festival, people might choose to bike to school, work, or other places as well.”
The 409 bikes parked represents over two-thousand car miles saved (assuming a five mile round trip) and immeasurable social, environmental and health benefits. The Bike Baton Rouge Bike Corrals were visited by several local dignitaries including Baton Rouge mayor Kip Holden who quipped, “When people tell me to take a hike, I tell them I’d rather bike!”
Bike Baton Rouge’s attention now turns to their annual Mike Bitton Awards ceremony, to be held at the Firehouse Gallery at the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge (427 Laurel Street) on Wednesday April 27, Bike to School Day (May 4) and Bike to Work Week (May 16 through 20)
For more information, visit bikebr.org, look up Bike Baton Rouge on facebook, or email Bike Baton Rouge at bikebatonrouge@gmail.com
Mika Torkkola
225 571 2906
bikebatonrouge@gmail.com
Bike Baton Rouge is a local non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization and has been dedicated to making bicycling trips in Baton Rouge safer and more enjoyable since 2006.
Press Release - Festival Season
Press release
Bike Baton Rouge to provide free bike parking at April festivals 3/23/16 Baton Rouge, LA Bike Baton Rouge will provide free valet bicycle parking services in downtown Baton Rouge throughout April at Fest for All, the Baton Rouge Blues Fest and the Earth Day Festival. Bike Baton Rouge volunteers will park and monitor the bicycles in a secured area that is provided by festival organizers. “When it comes to getting to a festival in downtown Baton Rouge, there’s no better way than by bicycle,” said Mika Torkkola of Bike Baton Rouge. “You don’t have to deal with traffic, you don’t have to worry about where you’re going to park your car, and best of all, you just hop off your bike and you’re already at your destination.” Each festival will take place at or near North Boulevard in the Town Square area of downtown Baton Rouge. Biking to a festival on a weekend is a simple first step for anyone interested in riding a bike around Baton Rouge. “We recognize that not everyone is going to be comfortable with riding a bike to work or to school,” said Torkkola, “but there are times, like at these festivals, when getting around on bike might make more sense than driving, even for folks who don’t consider themselves to be bicyclists.” Bike Baton Rouge has provided free bike parking services in downtown Baton Rouge since 2006. Bike valet services will be available at each festival from opening time to half an hour after closing. Earth Day will also feature a children’s bicycle safety course, with bicycles and helmets provided.
For more information, visit bikebr.org, look up Bike Baton Rouge on facebook, or email Bike Baton Rouge at bikebatonrouge@gmail.com
Mika Torkkola 225 571 2906 bikebatonrouge@gmail.com
Bike Baton Rouge is a local non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization and has been dedicated to making bicycling trips in Baton Rouge safer and more enjoyable since 2006.
Press release - Bike Baton Rouge provides valet bike parking at Fest for All
4/4/16
Baton Rouge, LA
Bike Baton Rouge volunteers, providing free valet bike parking services at Fest for All, parked a total of one-hundred and twelve bikes during the weekend’s event according to Bike Baton Rouge board member, Mika Torkkola. “We had a great time, we saw a lot of people out enjoying the nice weather.”
“If each bike trip saves a five mile drive, we helped keep five-hundred and sixty miles worth of travel green, healthy, and fun,” Torkkola added, “and with weather this nice why wouldn’t you want to be outside?”
Bike Baton Rouge’s valet bike parking will return next weekend for Blues Fest, and the following Sunday for Earth Day
Bike Baton Rouge has provided free bike parking services in downtown Baton Rouge since 2006. Bike valet services will be available at each festival from opening time to half an hour after closing. Earth Day will also feature a children’s bicycle safety course, with bicycles and helmets provided.
For more information, visit bikebr.org, look up Bike Baton Rouge on facebook, or email Bike Baton Rouge at bikebatonrouge@gmail.com
Mika Torkkola
225 571 2906
bikebatonrouge@gmail.com
Bike Baton Rouge is a local non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization and has been dedicated to making bicycling trips in Baton Rouge safer and more enjoyable since 2006.