BIKE RACE PROCEEDS PROVIDE PEDAL POWER FOR LOCAL KIDS - Press Release - By Adam Politzer

NEWS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 1, 2006

CONTACT: Adam Politzer 415.289.4126
Cheryl Popp 415.331.4331

BIKE RACE PROCEEDS PROVIDE PEDAL POWER FOR LOCAL KIDS
Sausalito Amgen Tour of California Committee Presents New Bikes to Students
Please join us for a
Special Awards Ceremony
Thursday, May 4th
3:15 pm
Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy
Multipurpose Room
610 Drake Avenue
Marin City

Sausalito, CA – Two months ago, on President’s Day weekend in February, Sausalito hosted the first stage of an historic international cycling event – the Amgen Tour of California (ATOC). 128 professional cyclists from around the world competed in a spectacular 8-day road race from northern to southern California that has been heralded as the next “Tour de France”. The event was viewed by an estimated 1.3 million spectators and was a major milestone for the sport of cycling in America; it was just as defining for a small group of Sausalito school children.

In conjunction with this bike race, which promoted health and fitness education as well as cycling, the local organizing committee, the City of Sausalito and the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce, launched a campaign in the local Sausalito schools that enabled each student to earn a new bike by participating in a learning program. The “Bikes for Kids” program as it was called was one of six ancillary events that Sausalito and its community established during the 2006 Amgen Tour of California. Seventy-six (76) children from the three Sausalito/Marin City schools (Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy, Willow Creek Academy and Bayside Elementary) completed the challenge and will be presented with new bicycles, helmets and locks on Friday, May 4th at 3:15 pm in the multipurpose room at Martin Luther King, Jr. school in Sausalito.

“The look in these kid’s eyes when they see their shiny new bikes will make all the long hours and hard work we did well worth the effort,” said Sausalito director of Parks and Recreation Adam Politzer. Politzer was one of three co-chairs of the local event, with Greg Christie and Jeff Scharosch.

These same kids received a certificate of completion at an all-school assembly on the Thursday before the cyclists started their race in Sausalito. They were joined that day by male and female professional cyclists as well as representatives from the Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC) who provided first hand information on cycling skills, bike safety, training tips and fitness health.


The Marin County Bicycle Coalition will stage a Bike Safety Rodeo at the awards event to provide safety instruction and skills training for the new cyclists, so that each student leaves with their new bike and the instruction necessary to be a safe and successful bicycle rider.

The program will recognize the MCBC’s many contributions as well as the generous support of Dynacraft Bikes and A Bicycle Odyssey. Tony Tom, owner of A Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito, was instrumental in the Bikes for Kids effort, assembling all the bikes and ensuring their operational safety.

Due to the remarkable success of this first-time event and Sausalito’s stellar performance as a host city, there is every indication that the City will be asked to participate in next year’s event as well. AEG – the Anschutz Entertainment Group – is the major sponsor of the event and has committed $35 million for the next three years to ensure its ongoing success.

“Kudos to the local organizing committee, but also to all the kids who worked to earn their new bikes,” said School Board President George Stratigos. “These are the sorts of community based programs that will help distinguish our public school system in Sausalito.”

So remember your helmets kids, stop at the stop signs just like the cars, and go for the yellow jersey. You’re fully equipped now. You can do it.