Build the USBRS and Benefit!

As I?m sure you have heard by now, we are currently in the first week of our month-long Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It. campaign, a fundraiser for the U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS). All month we will be sharing exciting updates from our campaign, special matching gift and raffle offers, and facts and information about the creation of this national network of bicycle routes.

Though yesterday was the first day of the campaign, we have already seen a lot of enthusiasm about the cause and the future of biking in America. Thank you to all those who donated during the kick-off! Yesterday, all donations made were matched 1:1 by Sun Bicycles and Origin-8 for a total of $1,000. We were so excited to meet that goal! If you missed out on yesterday's match opportunity, you can still enjoy the benefit of a matched gift. We have another great sponsor today! The next $1,000 in donations will be matched by WomanTours.

All May 1st donors were entered in a raffle to win an Osprey Hydration Pack. Thank you to Osprey for donating this product to help motivate gifts for the creation of the USBRS. The winner of this pack was Judith Knoll from Topeka, KS. Congratulations!

For everyone who didn?t win yesterday, we have another great match and raffle opportunity coming up later this week! Anyone who donates tomorrow (Thursday) will be entered to win a Moots Cycles variety pack including a cycling water bottle, a coffee thermos, an an awesome Moots belt buckle.

Want to know more about some of our great corporate supporters?

We kicked off the Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It. campaign with some outstanding matching funds from Sun Bicycles & Origin-8. Sun Bicycles is currently a gold-level corporate member with Adventure Cycling. They jumped at the chance to support the U.S. Bicycle Route System with their sister company Origin-8.

Origin-8 and Sun Bicycles want to bring cutting-edge, affordable bicycles to the masses. Origin-8?s goal is to offer high value products, containing the most important technical features enthusiasts want, at reasonable prices. They offer unique products for road, cyclocross, mountain, fixed-gear, and other cycling disciplines. The team at Sun Bicycles takes the spirit of the community and uses it to produce safe, easy to use, fashionable bikes for fitness and your commute. Sun Bicycles and Origin-8 design the bikes that you will ride for transportation and for fun.

"Sun Bicycles and Orgin-8 know a brighter future begins today," said Ben Joannou Jr., vice president of J&B Importers, Sun Bicycles and Origin-8?s parent company. "We are proud to help sponsor programs that give riders a place to ride -- not only to benefit our health, but the environment as well." This philosophy makes them a perfect supporter for the USBRS and our goal of connecting communities for all cyclists.

We are proud to list Sun Bicycles and Origin-8 among our sponsors for this fundraiser. Thank you for your support!

Visit Sun Bicycles and Origin-8 to learn more, like their Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter.

WomanTours, Inc. is the only women-specific bicycle-touring company in the world. They have been creating small, women-only, inn-to-inn, guided road bike tours since 1993. Their trips are designed for women of all ages, abilities and interests, in the most beautiful places around the U.S. and abroad.

?We have a wonderful schedule planned for 2012. A new flat beginner tour on bike paths in Niagara Falls, a challenging bike tour in the Colorado Rockies, cross-country bike tours, and international bike tours in Bhutan and Italy. And then almost everywhere in between. Come join us!," says Jackie Marchand, president.

Longtime users of Adventure Cycling?s route maps, they have directly benefited from the work we do and wanted to support our efforts with the U.S. Bicycle Route System.

?We've always been a big supporter of Adventure Cycling and their USBRS program. We use their researched routes and maps in designing many of our tours,? said Marchand. ?Our organizations' missions are similar in that they both revolve around getting more people on their bicycles.?

We are so grateful to WomanTours for their support of the U.S. Bicycle Route System. Thank you for all of your help!

Visit WomanTours to learn more and check out their Facebook and Twitter pages. You can also surf their blog or watch videos of their beautiful tours.

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The 2012 BUILD IT. BIKE IT. BE A PART OF IT. campaign runs through May 31, 2012. Please donate $10 today! All donations are tax deductible and will support Adventure Cycling Association's organizing efforts and technical assistance for the U.S. Bicycle Route System. The campaign is supported by Adventure Cycling members, a dedicated group of Core Supporters, bicycle-industry partners, state and local bicycle organizations, and cyclists across North America.

Campaign business sponsors include Walz Caps, Razoo, Giant Bicycles, Adventure Center, TeamEstrogen.com, Stan?s NoTubes, Sun Bicycles & Origin-8, and WomanTours.

In-kind product support to the Build It. Bike It. Be a Part of It. campaign has been donated by Osprey Packs, Moots, BOB Trailer, Brooks, Planet Bike, BikeFlights.com, and Hans Bagworks.

State partner organizations include Bike-Walk Alliance of NH, Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, and Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

Web partners for the campaign are PathLessPedaled, BikingBis, Bicycle Style Spokane, Chicks on Bikes, Change your life ride a bike, and Bicycle Radio.

The U.S. Bicycle Route System is supported in part by grants from the SRAM Cycling Fund, the Surdna Foundation, the Lazar Foundation, New Belgium Brewing, and the Michigan United Tandem Society.

Thank you all for your support and participation!

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/05/build-usbrs-and-benefit.html

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