Clean Air Council Gears Up for the 5th Annual Cycle September Event

Cycle September, with national partner Love to Ride, challenges people to bike all month long to win prizes and live more sustainably

(September, 2021) Philadelphia, PA – Clean Air Council is bringing the Cycle September Challenge to Philadelphia for the fifth consecutive year. This month-long event encourages people of all biking experience levels to take up biking as a sustainable form of transportation and a great way to get around the region. Individuals and workplaces can sign up, log their rides, and encourage each other to bike through an online platform called Love to Ride where they can compete for prizes and bragging rights. Carbon emissions from transportation are a major source of air pollution and fuel the devastating effects of the climate crisis. Every time a commuter chooses to ride a bike instead of driving a car, they reduce their carbon emissions. Switching one trip from car to bike reduces an average commuter’s total transportation emissions that day by 67%. Cycle September is a fun way to make the switch to biking. Over 200 workplaces and more than 2,000 people in the Philly area have participated in the past four years. This year Indego bike share is also a partner of the project and is offering new riders a discounted month-long pass for just $5 in order to make biking a more accessible transportation option to people across the city. 

“Cycle September is a major cycling event in Philadelphia,” said Nick Zuwiala-Rogers, Transportation Program Director at Clean Air Council. “This challenge takes place during Philadelphia’s ozone season, which makes it special, as we all try to reduce air pollution by traveling sustainably. We are grateful for all our partners and participants who take part in one way or another with the goal of protecting the air we breathe by making a conscious effort to bike more. We hope the friendly competition in September leads to behavior change throughout the year, with more people biking and fewer pollution-emitting vehicles on the road.” 

“Cycle September is one of our favorite times of the year at Indego,” said Emily Hooven, Marketing and Communication Coordinator at Indego. “It’s amazing to connect with other Indego riders and cyclists through the Love to Ride website – to see where they’re biking, how often, who they’re encouraging, and more. The team at Indego is excited to join the challenge and compete together again this September!” 

Registration is free and everyone is encouraged to participate no matter their cycling level. Participants can win prizes for being the top cyclist in their category and for other achievements like encouraging the most people to go for a ride or taking up biking for the first time. Sign up at lovetoride.net/philly. 

How to Sign up for the Challenge:

• Register for free at lovetoride.net using either your email, Facebook, or Strava account
• Join or create a profile for your workplace so you can earn points both as an individual and as part of a team
• Start logging your bike rides to earn riding points.
• To score big, earn “encourager” points. Encourage your friends and family (not just co-workers) to register and log a ride. If they add you as their encourager, you’ll score 50 or 100 points.
• More points mean more chances to climb the leaderboards and win prizes! There are separate leaderboards for organizations of different sizes, commuters, and new riders as well as individual leaderboards for men, women, and non-binary riders.