Helping The Planet Help Itself.
Ride a bike. Ride a good one. Pick your route to work, to school,or to the grocery store. Skim quietly past the bored multitudes stuck inside tin coffins on the expressway during rush hour. Ride along the street,waving to pedestrians and grinning wildly with the pleasure of riding a bicycle. Remember that Einstein thought of the theory of relativity while riding his bicycle. Get on a bike instead of sitting on a sofa at home, stuffing your face with fried foods and watching soul-killing shows about amateurs singing badly. Ride your bicycle for the good of the planet, using it for transportation and recreation. Ride your way to freedom from high oil prices. Ride for self-reliance. Please... ride your bike and help us support others who do the same.Supporting Bikes Belong.
Cannondale, in conjunction with other Cannondale Sports Group (CSG) brands, is proud to support Bikes Belong and its mission to get more people riding bicycles more often. Our $200,000 contribution will be matched annually up to $200,000 + membership fees. Why Bikes Belong. Bikes Belong's mission is to put more people on bicycles often. They work to make bicycling better in America by:- Working with the federal government to maximize federal funding for bicycling.
- Awarding grants to help create more and better places to ride.
- Sponsoring programs to help cities and towns become more bicycle-friendly.
- Promoting bicycling to get more people riding.
- Cultivating cooperation throughout the bicycle industry.
- Strength in Numbers and Unity.
Bikes Belong formed in 1999 when U.S. bicycle companies recognized an opportunity to maximize bike funding in TEA-21- the upcoming multi-year federal transportation bill. Their initial goal was to ensure funding for new bicycle facilities that would increase bike riding, boost public health and strengthen the bike business.Supporting the efforts and advocacy of Bikes Belong is another step in Cannondale's commitment to strengthen the bicycling community through advocacy.Since then, they've successfully harnessed the collective power of the U.S. bicycle industry to accomplish more than bike companies could by working independently. They've steadily expanded their efforts, but they remain focused on creating safe places to ride so more people will bike, and bike more.
Supporting Ripon's Velorution
In 2009, Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, will provide Cannondale F9 hardtails to incoming freshmen students. The bicycles, painted with custom Ripon College Red Hawks colors and logos, are part of a school program called The Velorution. The bikes are a permanent gift to those freshman students who a pledge not to bring a car to campus.
After the inaugural year of the program in 2008, the college tore out two roads that bisected campus and put in a paved pathway. The campus makeover created a learning environment that is pedestrian- and cycling-friendly, and encouraged a healthier student body.
The college's Velorution web page notes: "Our world, including the Ripon campus and community, is increasingly susceptible to the societal ills of obesity, traffic congestion, fuel consumption and pollution... A recent statistic about American's driving habits suggests that 50 percent of car trips in the United States are less than two miles. We all rely too much on our cars."
Cannondale is proud to support a progressive, forward-looking institution like Ripon with bicycles that solve today's real-world challenges.
Supporting IMBA.
The Cannondale Sports Group also has pledged corporate-level sponsorship for the International Mountain Biking Association. Cannondale was one of the first sponsors of IMBA in 1991 and is proud to continue its support of the organization.
"We're thrilled to have Cannondale joining as an IMBA Corporate Member. Their level of support is fantastic and provides critical support for our nationwide advocacy efforts," said Rich Cook, IMBA's Development Director.
Cannondale's generous support of IMBA helps ensure that mountain bikers everywhere continue to have the land-access rights, quality trails, and the commitment to advocacy that makes the sport truly enjoyable.
Supporting the efforts and advocacy of Bikes Belong and IMBA is another step in Cannondale's commitment to strengthen the bicycling community through advocacy. Please, join the Good Fight...click in to learn more about Bikes Belong .
