In 2014, we're launching a new program where we partner with bike teams from across the U.S. to spread the word about PeopleForBikes and bring new riders into our movement. We are super excited to introduce these 16 fantastic groups, who focus on everything from triathlon to road racing to social rides to cross-country excursions. Meet them here:
Adrenaline Cycling Club - Chula Vista, CA
Number of riders: 20
Disciplines: Road + track
Why they're involved: "We love to help spread the word and to support cycling as a sport."
Team Spirit Animal: Cheetah
BASE Tri Fitness - Columbus, OH
Number of riders: 20
Disciplines: Triathlon, mountain bike, cyclocross, crits, road races.
Why they're involved: "We love bikes and we are fed up with people getting killed!!!"
Team Spirit Animal: Liger
Bike Rack Racing - Washington, DC
Number of riders: 25
Disciplines: "We race road and cyclocross and train accordingly, with hill workouts, intervals and sprint training. However, we also do a lot of social group riding, and have started a biweekly women's only ride to encourage women in the D.C. area to gain group riding experience. Though we started as a road team only, many of us fell in love with cyclocross this past fall and have an entirely new perspective on why we train and race (to get better at CX!)"
Why they're involved: "We're a women-focused bike team and we fully acknowledge that while we love racing, anything we can do to get more people on bikes is a good thing (for lots of reasons)! We are trying to lower the barriers to entry for novice female riders and simplify the bike racing world. We also aim to diffuse the elitist, aggro aura that permeates road racing and sometimes road riding in general."
Team Spirit Animal: Cat. Definitely the kitty cat. Meow.
Dealer.com-EverBank - Burlington, VT
Number of riders: 13 elite + 35 amateur
Disciplines: Road + cyclocross
Why they're involved: "We are professional amateurs and we have other obligations in life. One thing is for sure, we love bikes. We dream of them all day and spent countless hours and dollars racing them. I am not sure racers like us could imagine a world without access to great roads."
Team Spirit Animal: Dark Beast
Equipe Vitesse - West Chester, PA
Number of riders: 24
Disciplines: "Equipe Vitesse's focus is on the road, though the majority of our riders compete in at least one other discipline; we have active cross, track, and MTB racers. Our team is run by Mike Chauner, a professional road cyclist who coaches the majority of the riders and runs an indoor cycling Computrainer studio. Made up of a large group of Masters and Cat 3-5 racers, our women's team produced a National Champion on the road in 2013 with Stephanie Gonzales."
Why they're involved: "While only a small number of people race, millions ride and the safety and importance of those millions' voices in their local communities and at the regional and national level can not be underestimated."
Spirit animal: Liger / Tion
Fat Fish Racing - Casper, WY
Number of riders: 28
Disciplines: "Our team primarily competes in XC mountain bike races but is expanding into enduro mountain biking and many endurance mountain bike events. Snow biking and cyclocross are other sports that many of our members partake in."
Why they're involved: "We strive year-round to bring cycling to the masses. We try to make our races and group rides accessible to every type of rider. We have even loaned our personal bikes to people without their own. Our community NEEDS the support from PeopleForBikes!! We are at a very important stage in the development of bike paths and bike lanes in the region."
Team Spirit Animal: A huge hook jawed Brown Trout!
Fort Follies Women's Cycling - Fort Collins, CO
Number of riders: 45
Disciplines: "Fort Follies is the first and only women's team in the cycling oriented town of Fort Collins, Colorado. Our team is open to women of all ages and ability levels. More specifically, our women range from recreactional riders, to commuters, to elite racers. The competing women of Fort Follies participate in road, cyclocross, mountain, triathlon, and gravel grinder races both locally and nationally."
Why they're involved: "We focus on empowering and supporting any woman's interest in riding bikes and fostering that interest through facilitating their relationships to the cycling community and providing knowledge and reasources."
Team Spirit Animal: T-Rex
Green Line Velo - Somerville, MA
Number of riders: 30
Disciplines: "We race road, cross, and mountain bikes throughout New England. Amongst our ranks we are proud to have the current New England Criterium Champion and the entire podium of this year's TD Bank Mayor's Cup 2/3 race. But, racing is not the only reason we ride our bikes. We ride our bikes all the time for any number of reasons. Together we regularly go out for rides that take us out through the scenic towns of Concord or Harvard. We ride over dirt trails to visit apple orchards and drink cider. On our bikes we regularly ride to the water in Gloucester, the witches in Salem, and the mountains in Wachussett. When we're not out having fun on our bikes, many of us commute to our jobs on our bikes, even in the coldest winter days.
Our riding is not only limited to team members, however. Throughout the summer we host group rides that regularly attract between 40 and 80 riders of all skill levels. We ride out of the city, through the suburbs, and end up at a local pizza shop where we undo all the hard work we did with new groups of people each week. The ride has become a staple of the summers in Boston and something all of us look forward to each week as a chance to meet new faces and catch up with old ones."
Why they're involved: "We believe we can help spread bicycling advocacy and positive publicity throughout the Boston area, and ultimately get more people out and sharing our passion for riding bikes."
Team Spirit Animal: Jens Voight
Gripped Racing - Arlington, VA
Number of riders: 30
Disciplines: Road, mountain, cyclocross, + TT
Why they're involved: "Over the last seven years, we have competed in well over 700 Mid-Atlantic races. We influence Arlington residents reaching far into both the community that competes as well as commuters and occasional riders. In 2013, we had plenty of podium finishes but more importantly our members volunteered at 12 events and causes. We raised more than $5,000 for charities, including $3,500k for our sister charity, “Companions For Heroes” and we are eager to help PeopleForBikes spread the message that cycling can be the answer to many of the problems that we all face as a society."
Team Spirit Animal: Shark
Outsiders Bicycle Club - Beaufort, NC
Number of riders: 20
Disciplines: Light town rides with large groups, local bike races for charity, town clean-up on bikes, small group fitness rides, and town parades
Why they're involved: "To help spread the word about how riding bicycles can benefit you and your community. We play a part in our community by promoting cycling activities like our town-sponsored Clean up on Bicycles, supporting local music with fundraisers and getting more people on bikes as a way of travel and positive interaction with others."
Team Spirit Animal: Wolf
River City Women's Racing - Richmond, VA
Number of riders: 19
Discplines: "Mostly cyclocross, mountain bike, and multisport racing events. We also have recreational riders and commuters."
Why they're involved: "We started as a race team with a mission to promote the health and fitness of women through competitive cycling and camaraderie. We have expanded that focus to include folks who love the sport of cycling but are recreational riders and/or commuters. We believe that cycling can be both a sport and a lifestyle. Also, our city, Richmond, is in the process of transforming its bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and we want to support that movement as much as we can, as it resonates with our mission."
Team Spirit Animal: "Pitbull! We support a local animal rescue organization called Ring Dog Rescue which is dedicated to the rescue of bully breed dogs."
Sonic Boom Racing - Louisville, CO
Number of riders: 51
Discplines: "Competitive road and cyclocross racing with ages ranging from 20 to 50 years old. We promote and direct the Colorado Masters State Criterium Championships in downtown Louisville. We have been awarded the Best All-Around Team in Colorado in multiple categories over numerous years. We have weekly team rides that are open to the public."
Why they're involved: "We believe strongly in the development of riders of all types—competitive to recreational—as well as the development of the whole person on and off the bike. We promote bike safety as a culture within our team, and we promote cycling as a sport and way of life through the race we promote within our community, team rides, and our social media outreach."
Team Spirit Animal: Falcon
Team Integrity Cycling - Charles Town, WV
Number of riders: 20
Discplines: Criterium, circuit races, road races, and CX
Why they're involved: "Team Integrity Cycling has had an interest in positively representing and growing the sport of competitive cycling since it's inception three years ago. We have worked hard (and will continue to do so) to establish a permanent foothold for the sport in an area where it was previously non-existent."
Team Spirit Animal: "The THUNDERBEAR!!!"
Titletown Flyers Cycling Team - Green Bay, WI
Number of riders: 65
Discplines: "We are predominately a mountain bike race team, however we like the gravel as well! The newest discipline for the Flyers is the fat bike racing and fat bike endurance events. On the road, we pretty much stick to the tours and centuries where we can be social and have a good time with other like-minded souls."
Why they're involved: "We used to be a hardcore, three-time WORS Championship team. After a few off-the-bike life changing events throughout the team, we realized it is the people we ride with that make the two-wheeler crowd so amazing. Now, you can still catch us tearing up the local race scene in the Midwest, but you may find us more out riding and promoting the good life of riding a bike to anyone that will join us."
Team Spirit Animal: "Lion. Our favorite trail starts right by the lion exhibit at the local zoo...and they are always roaring!"
Trek Store Cincinnati Cycling Team - Cincinnati, OH
Number of riders: 30
Disciplines: "Our team participates in almost every form of bike racing and bike enjoyment. Road, crit, mountain, BMX, downhill, cyclocross, as well as quite a few of our racers commute to work on a regular basis. We host multiple weekly rides that depart from the two Trek Bicycle Stores of Cincinnati, and we also participate in multiple local charity rides: Ride Cincinnati, BikeMS, Tour de Cure, etc."
Why they're involved: "Our shop is a long-time supporter of PeopleForBikes. None of us are professional bike racers, but we all love bikes. We do what we can to encourage new riders, support new bike-friendly laws, help build and maintain local trails, and all around make both our team, and bicycling, fun."
Team Spirit Animal: Fox
Troop 165 ESCAA (Eagle Scouts Cycle Across America) - Fredericksburg, VA
Number of riders: 13
Disciplines: "As a scout troop, we encompass all levels of riding. From small, one-day trips to beginner-level week long rides to advanced multi-week, higher mileage treks."
Why they're involved: "Through our rides we try to help people understand the dangers of obesity in today's youth and the need to remain active. We wish to share our experiences and teach others that physical fitness is not as difficult and definitely more fun than they might perceive it to be."
Team Spirit Animal: Bald eagle
Special thanks to The Service Course cyclocross team and EVOL Elite Racing for helping us pilot this program in 2013. If you missed the 2014 application but are interested in being a PeopleForBikes team in the future, head over to our signup page to leave your info.