COVID-19 Shifts the NWA Bike Month Challenge to September and Sees Great Success in Global and National Leaderboards

[Northwest Arkansas - October 15, 2020] - The Cycle September results have been finalized, and many Northwest Arkansas cities, businesses, and locals graced the global and national leaderboards. Upon COVID-19, bike shops sold out, trail usage doubled, and the NWA Bike Challenge moved from May to September. The number of riders who participated compared to May’s Bike Month in 2019, increased by 100%. Seventy organizations and 1,080 people participated in the challenge; Northwest Arkansas organizations occupied 1st place in four out of the six national categories, and eight organizations ranked in the top 10 in the global leaderboards. The state of Arkansas placed 1st in the 2-4 million residents category beating out Utah, Connecticut, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Organizations in 1st place in the national workplace challenge:

1st Place (2,000+ staff): Walmart Inc.
1st Place (50-199 staff): Phat Tire Bike Shop
1st Place (20-49 staff): Modus Studio
1st Place (7-19 staff): BikeNWA / NWA Trailblazers

Organizations that ranked top 10 in the global challenge:

6th Place (2,000+ staff): Walmart Inc.
4th Place (50-199 staff): Phat Tire Bike Shop
8th Place (50-199 staff): Thaden School
4th Place (20-49 staff): Modus Studio
6th Place (20-49 staff): Henderson Engineering
7th Place (20-49 staff): Peel Compton Foundation
2nd Place (7-19 staff): BikeNWA / NWA Trailblazers
9th Place (7-19 staff): CEI Engineering Assoc.

Cities in Northwest Arkansas ranked:

1st Place (75-150k residents category): Fayetteville
2nd Place (75-150k residents category): Springdale
1st Place (25-75k residents category): Bentonville
2nd Place (25-75k residents category): Rogers
3rd place (25-75k residents category): Bella Vista
3rd Place (25k residents category): Siloam Springs

The Cycle September challenge resulted in 110 new riders (people who have not ridden a bike in the last 12 months), and participants rode 193,398 miles, made 12,957 trips, and cut back 5,438 lbs of their CO2 footprint. The local leaderboard’s ages spanned 60 years, with one of the Top Riders, Chuck Northup, 81 years old, with a pacemaker, rode 2,011 miles for the month, earning him 1st place on the local Top Rider board and 8th place nationally. To read his team’s story, visit: BikeNWA Blog.

Top Northwest Arkansas riders in the national challenge:

6th Place: Kenny Williams
7th Place: Anton Korolev
8th Place: Chuck Northup

For the full breakdown of leaderboards visit: https://www.bikenwa.org/nwabikechallenge

Bianca Montoya Director of Communications and Marketing
BikeNWA
972-369-9663
Bianca@bikenwa.org