Press Release: May 4, 2009

Contact:

Tracey Bradnan Cartwheel Communications Office: 440-835-3038 Cell: 440-781-7690 tracey@cartwheelcleveland.com

For Immediate Release May 4, 2009

BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (May 4, 2009) – Organizers of Bay Bike To School Challenge sponsored by Century Cycles and Chipotle report that 1,215 Bay Village middle and high school students have signed up to ride their bikes to school this morning for the start of the three-week program. Each student who rides today will be rewarded with cleaner air, energized muscles and a free burrito coupon from Chipotle.

Bay Middle School (27725 Wolf Road) has 675 students enrolled in Bike To School Challenge. Administrators at Bay Middle School expect approximately 80% of the school’s student population will travel to school by bicycle this morning, beginning at approximately 6:45 a.m. until the final bell rings at 7:45 a.m. Bike To School Challenge organizers available for interview at Bay Middle School during student arrivals this morning include Principal Sean McAndrews, 5^th grade teacher Lawrence Kuh, Century Cycles owner Scott Cowan and Emily Francis from Chipotle.

Bay High School (29230 Wolf Road) has 540 students enrolled in Bay Bike To School Challenge. Organizers available for interview at Bay High School during student arrivals from 6:45 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. will be Vice Principal Jason Martin and science teacher Eryn Whistler.

Back for its second year, Bay Schools Bike To School Challenge sponsored by Century Cycles and Chipotle is May 4 – 22, 2009, and is organized to help middle and high school students in Bay Village, Ohio, kick the car habit by challenging them to ride their bikes to school during three weeks each spring, to help the environment, get more exercise and improve their health.

Students who register for Bay Schools Bike To School Challenge sponsored by Century Cycles and Chipotle carry a redemption card that is stamped each day they ride a bike to school. The more days they ride, the more they get – including free t-shirts and bicycle accessories from Century Cycles bicycle store in Rocky River. Chipotle is giving a free burrito to each student who rides the first day. Students also qualify for Bike To School Challenge’s grand prizes – two Raleigh and two Giant bicycles (one each per school, courtesy of Century Cycles, Raleigh Bicycles and Giant Bicycles) and free Chipotle burritos for a year. The program concludes on May 22 with assemblies at each school, to show the students the impact of their efforts, award the permanent home of the Golden Sprocket Award and draw the grand prize winners’ names.

Bay Middle School and Bay High School will also be competing during Bike To School Challenge to see which school has the greatest percentage of bike-riders on the three Wednesdays of the program, with the winner receiving the Golden Sprocket Award. It will be awarded weekly during Bike To School Challenge, on May 6, May 13 and May 20. In order to be eligible for the Golden Sprocket Award, a building principal or assistant principal at each school must have ridden a bicycle to school on the date of the challenge.

In addition to the Golden Sprocket Award and the prizes provided by Century Cycles and Chipotle, the program is receiving support from the community:

• The Parent Teacher Student Association at Bay Middle School and the Parent Teacher Association at Bay High School will provide free water bottles to the students as a prize.

• Friday, May 15, is Free Caribou Drink Day. Every student who rides that day receives a free drink voucher from Caribou Coffee.

• On Friday, May 8, Studio VANITYLAB will give free haircuts to 25 Bay High School students, randomly drawn from those who ride that day.

Launched in 2008 as “Bay High School Bike To School Month sponsored by Century Cycles,” the program exceeded organizers’ expectations – 543 students (66 percent of the school) registered for the program and on average 224 students per day biked to school during an unusually cold and rainy May, 2008. At its conclusion, Bay High School students rode an estimated 15,566 miles, saved $2,883 in fuel costs, and reduced carbon emissions by 14,350 pounds.

Statistics:

• In 1969, approximately half of all students in the U.S. walked or bicycled to school. By 2001, only about 15 percent of U.S. students make the trip to school by walking or bicycling. Today, the habit of driving kids to school is so pervasive that, in some communities, parents driving their children to school represents between 20 and 30 percent of peak-hour morning traffic. (Source: Safe Routes to School: 2007 State of the States Report)

• Two recent studies have found that biking or walking to school is associated with higher overall physical activity throughout the day. There are many potential benefits of physical activity for youth, including weight control, reduction in the risk of diabetes, and better academic performance.

• A short, four-mile round trip by bicycle keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe. (Source: League of American Bicyclists)

• In metropolitan areas, more than 40% of car trips made for social or recreational purposes (like shopping) are two miles or less – a very manageable bike ride – and more than 25% are just one mile or less. (Source: 2001 U.S. National Household Travel Survey)

• A recent report concludes that changing the habits of just 20 percent of the children living within two miles of school to get them to walk or bicycle to and from school instead of being driven would be the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road each year, preventing the emission of over 350,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 21,500 tons of other pollutants. (Safe Routes to School: Steps to a Greener Future, prepared for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Safe Routes to School National Partnership)

• Studies show that on average, regular cyclists add over two years to their life expectancy, have the general fitness and health of someone 10 years younger, and are 50% less likely to experience depression.  Biking at a moderate pace of about 10 miles per hour burns on average 400 calories per hour for women and 450 per hour for men – about the same as an aerobic session. (Source: “Bike To Work” by Rory McMullan, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2008)

ABOUT BAY SCHOOLS: The schools in Bay Village, Ohio, are award-winning and consistently earn the state’s highest ratings for student achievement. Bay High School was recently named one of the Top 500 high schools in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report. Newsweek ranked it in the top 5% of high schools in the nation.  www.bayvillageschools.com

ABOUT PROJECT EARTH ENVIRONMENTAL CLUB: Project Earth is committed to learning about their environment and how they can improve it at school, at home, and in the community. They hope that by educating themselves, they can educate others on how to preserve earth’s resources for a better future. Project Earth volunteers helps organize and coordinate the day-to-day administration of Bike To School Challenge with their faculty adviser, Ms. Eryn Whistler.

ABOUT CENTURY CYCLES:

Century Cycles is an award-winning chain of independent bicycle stores in Medina, Peninsula, and Rocky River, providing high-quality bicycles and friendly, expert service to northeast Ohio bicyclists and their families. Century Cycles is an authorized dealer of Raleigh, Giant, Diamondback, Electra, Surly, Masi, Bianchi, DK, and Haro bicycles, as well as Santana tandems. The Peninsula store also rents bicycles year-round for use on the Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Define your life. Ride a bike.^TM

Website: www.centurycycles.com

1079 North Court Street, Medina, OH 44256; 330-722-7119

1621 Main Street (Route 303), Peninsula, OH 44264; 330-657-2209

19955 Detroit Road, Rocky River, OH 44116; 440-356-5705

ABOUT CHIPOTLE: Chipotle Mexican Grill offers a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food with Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food not only from using fresh ingredients, but ingredients that are sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in 1993 and currently operates more than 800 restaurants.   www.chipotle.com