Write an essay and win a bicycle. It's as easy as that if you live in one of 11 cities chosen for Bicycling magazine's annual BikeTown USA.
Over the years, Bicycling and its partners have given out 1,300 bicycles to people who could be convinced to improve their lifestyle with a free ride. This year, Bicycling is handing out 600 bicycles, or about 50 in each of the participating cities.
The BikeTown website lists the BikeTown cities as:
Baltimore
Boise
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Detroit
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York City
Philadelphia
(An earlier press release names Gila River — near Phoenix — as another, but it's not on the website presently.)
The rules are simply to write a 50-word essay on how you would incorporate a free bicycle into our life. There's a form at the BikeTown website.
Depending on the city, winners will receive a free bike from Electra, Fuji or Giant as well as cycling gear and apparel from Bell, Camelbak, Canari Cycling, CatEye, Ryders Sunglasses and Saris Racks.
The magazine started BikeTown in Portland, Maine, in 2003. It expanded to five cities in 2004, and 20 in 2005, including an offshoot that sent bicycles to Africa, in conjunction with Kona, to help health-care workers get medicines and treatment out to people afflicted with HIV/AIDS.
Bicycling says the program has had some success, as on average its participants rode 10 miles a week. That may not sound like a lot, but it's better than nothing.
This year's partner is Lipton, the tea company. It appears to be repositioning itself as a health drink. On the BikeTown website, Lipton challenges people improve their lifestyle by making two changes: Drink three servings of Lipton tea everyday and “get active.”
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