The National Bike Challenge runs from May 1 through September 30, and the goals is simple: ride your bike as much as you can!
The National Bike Challenge is a friendly competition, based on the number of “points” you accumulate. The formula for calculating points in the Challenge is really simple: it’s 20 points for each day you ride at least 1 mile, plus 1 point for each mile.
Competing in the National Bike Challenge is fun, and free, and you also have a chance to win some great prizes, which are awarded randomly each month to participating riders. The more you ride, the better your chances to win.
But more importantly, the Challenge encourages you to make bicycling a regular habit, and everyday part of your life. People who ride bikes are typically healthier and happier than those who do not, and are in general just awesome folk, so why not ride?
Sign up (it’s free!) at nationalbikechallenge.org
New this year, you’ll need to use Strava to actually log your miles. Luckily, Strava is pretty awesome all on its own.
Here’s the recommended steps:
- If you have a Strava account, make sure you’re logged in. If you do not have a Strava account, go to strava.com and set one up (it’s free); you can sign up using your Facebook account, your Google account, or an email and password.
- Go to nationalbikechallenge.org and click the orange “Join The Challenge” button. This’ll send you back over to Strava, so that you can grant permission for the NBC to access your Strava data.
- Ride your bike and log your miles!
You can log your miles manually, use a GPS fitness tracker (e.g. Garmin, Yahoo, Polar, Lezyne, etc.), use a Strava smartphone app, or use a third-party service such as Fitness Syncer to pull in your data from other sites such as Endomondo or MapMyRide. Whatever way you get your miles into Strava, they’ll be automatically forwarded to the National Bike Challenge, where you can compete as an individual, as part of a city, as part of a state, or as part of a team, school, or workplace.