The National Bike Challenge is a free online program, with a companion smartphone application, designed to encourage biking for transportation, fitness and recreation. The program allows participants to form or join teams with friends, family members or coworkers. The goal is to have 50,000 riders pedaling 20 million miles from May 1, 2013 until September 30, 2013. It is open and free to anyone who lives in the U.S. or works for an organization with U.S. employees.

The challenge allows participants to track miles traveled, calories burned, money saved and CO2 emissions kept out of the atmosphere. And win prizes!

After you register yourself for the Challenge, you will have an option to register your company, or to join it (if a coworker has already registered it). If you don’t sign up with your company when you initially register, you can do so later through the “edit profile” option. Want to pedal for your college or university? If you don’t sign up with your school when you initially register, you can do so later through the “edit profile” option. College/University teams consist of students, faculty, and staff members.

Have questions? The answers are here. Don’t want to start a new team? We’d be happy to have your riding for the Savannah Bicycle Campaign team!

Imagine a city street closed to automobile traffic and dedicated to letting people enjoy the arts, active games and activities for families, and local food. Sounds like fun, right? It will be!

Play Streets movement  is coming to Savannah with an inaugural event on Sunday, April 28 from 2-5 p.m. on Lincoln Street, between Henry and Gaston streets. The “Chalk Sports Ciclovia” will feature:

•    World Record Attempt at Most People Simultaneously Hopskotching
•    Live Music
•    Forsyth Farmer’s Market Vendors
•    “Redux” Art Exhibition from DesotoRow Gallery
•    Kid’s Bicycle Games
•    Chalk Poetry station for Kids
•    Bicycle Valet Parking
•    Healthy Cooking Demonstrations
•    Bicycle Safety Checks
•    Art Activities

Your Savannah Bicycle Campaign will be organizing the bicycle activities and we invite cyclists of all ages to bring their bikes (and helmets).

If you’d like to travel to the event by bike, a group ride will leave from Baldwin Park at 2 p.m.

Savannah was one of 10 cities nationwide selected as participants in the 2013 Play Streets Series. The series, supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Partnership for a Healthier America, brings public events for families to the streets — giving children and families a chance to be active, and have fun.

You can find out more about the first Play Streets event, and that world record attempt, in this Connect Savannah article: A magic (almost) mile on Lincoln Street

More information on the event is available from our friends at Well FED and the City of Savannah’s Play Streets page.

And there’s more  good news: This is only the first Play Streets event. There are more to come. Stay tuned

We hold a variety of events – casual bike rides, bike education classes, and fundraisers, none of which we could do without the wonderful support of volunteers. Please visit this page for a calendar of upcoming opportunities, and if none of these immediately strikes you, please send us an email to let us know that you’re interested in helping out!

Upcoming volunteer opportunities are also listed below:

SBC Membership donations support our efforts to help build a better Savannah through bicycling. Membership also entitles you to discounts – you can see the latest available discounts here.

Your contribution helps us to continue to be your voice with local government, to educate drivers and bicyclists, and to get more bicyclists riding in our beautiful city!
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The Savannah Bicycle Campaign presents the Sixth Annual Savannah Earth Day Wheelie Bike Ride on Saturday, April 20, 2013. The free, family-friendly ride is part of the City of Savannah’s Earth Day Festival and will depart from the south end of Forsyth Park at 4 p.m. An after‐ride party, the Post Wheelie Dealie, will be held at the new location of Blowin’ Smoke BBQ, 1611 Habersham St., at 5 p.m.

This is the first group ride organized after the Savannah Bicycle Campaign’s
founding and it remains one of its most popular events. The police‐escorted ride through some of Savannah’s most picturesque historic neighborhoods will emphasize the fun and benefits of bicycling in Savannah.

The Savannah Wheelie fits well with this year’s Earth Day Festival Theme, “Save. Recycle. Grow.” Bicycling as transportation can help save money that would be spent on fuel and other automobile-related expenses. “We are working on a program that will recycle discarded bicycles and provide them to people in need of affordable, dependable transportation,” said Savannah Bicycle Campaign Executive Director John Bennett. “And the word ‘grow’ relates to the fact that a growing number of people are making bicycling a healthy part of their daily routines in Savannah.”

During the Earth Day Festival, the Savannah Bicycle Campaign will also present a workshop called “Get Back on Your Bicycle,” according to Bennett. “It’s aimed at people who may have bicycles collecting dust in their garages,” he said. “The workshop will help them determine if the bike can be made street safe with minor adjustment or if it needs attention from a professional bicycle mechanic. We’ll also cover safe cycling and other tips to make the experience of getting back on a bike more enjoyable.”

As with all Savannah Bicycle Campaign Wheelie rides, helmets are strongly encouraged.

Our friends at the Savannah Stopover Music Festival are throwing a free concert in Forsyth Park on Friday, March 8 featuring of Montreal and opening act Royal Canoe. To make this amazing musical experience even more amazing, we are offering bicycle valet parking. Simply present your bike at the valet stand and we’ll make sure it is safely stored while you’re enjoying the music.

Need more convincing to ride to the concert? Here’s a preview of the show from our other friends at Connect Savannah.

The Savannah Stopover Festival packs 100 performances into a weekend (March 7-9) and we encourage all festival goers to go by bike. Without a doubt, bicycles are the best way to shuttle between concert venues. Just make sure to use lights at night!