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Team Captains Corner: National Bike Month

With nearly 80% of cyclists riding on a team annually, you are the driving force in the continued success of the Ride. You are recruiting and encouraging year round.

Take advantage of National Bike Month as an opportunity to do what you do best: grow your team and spread the word about Bike MS: City to Shore! 

  • Ensure all 2016 team members are registered – contact Rosie for your 2016 (or further back) team roster. 
    *Reminder that registration increases to $65 on May 26
  • Download the Bike MS Mobile app to communicate with your teammates and donors on the go! (see more on the Mobile app below)
  • Utilize the team captain tools available in your Participant Center to send recruitment emails, update your team page and more.
  • Is your team celebrating an anniversary year or a fundraising milestone? Be sure to communicate that out to your team members this month to get them excited to share in your team’s success!  

And find more ways to engage your team in the articles below. 


Take Action During National Bike Month

May is National Bike Month, and a great time to and share your City to Shore experience and reason for riding.

May is Bike Month1. Wear your vintage gear while riding to work during Bike to Work Week (May 15-19) as a way to promote City to Shore, recruit others to share the City to Shore experience with you, solicit donations and share your reason for riding.  

  • Ensure you have 2017 Trading Cards on hand, to hand out along your ride.
  • Reminder: the registration fee increases from $50 to $65 on May 26 – encourage friends, family and co-workers to register today!

2. Don’t wait until September - start thinking about safe and courteous cycling behavior now – see article below for more details 

3. Share your experience from anywhere, with the Boundless Fundraising mobile app - iPhone | Android.

Did you know? Cyclists who update their personal page or share their personal stories on social media raise twice as much as those who don’t!

The Boundless Fundraising app allows you to share reason for riding in just a few clicks: 

  • Personalize your fundraising page with your story 
  • Send an email or text message about your fundraising efforts to anyone in your phone contacts
  • Plus, track and thank your donors

To learn more about the Bike MS mobile app, see page 13 of the Participant Center Guide.

Don’t forget to tag Bike MS: City to Shore in your posts for the chance to be featured on our Facebook page! We will be sharing YOUR stories all month long!


Be Courteous. Be Responsible. Be Safe.

This year celebrates the 10th year of City to Shore’s Responsible Cycling Program. Over the past years, hundreds of cyclists have taken the pledge to ensure City to Shore is as safe and enjoyable as possible for everyone involved.

Celebrate this milestone with us this September 23 & 24, by continuing your commitment and/or joining the ranks of safe and courteous City to Shore cyclists, by taking the pledge to be a Responsible Cyclist in 2017.

Whether your last Group Riding Skills Course was in 2008 or in 2014, it is important that we all continue to make a good impression on all the communities we ride through. 

Take the pledge today.


Come and Get It! Cyclist Resources

City to Shore Cyclist Handbook 2017

Cyclist Handbook = Hitting Mailboxes later this month! 

Whether this is your first year participating in City to Shore or your 30th, be sure to reference this mailing for important Ride information and changes, dates and deadlines, route and safety information, fundraising tips & resources and more.

Virtual Goodie Bag = 2017 will be available online soon

Access to your virtual goodie bag online for bike shop and sponsor coupons/promotions, including:
- Free Bike Inspection
- Bike MS 10% Off valid at all sponsoring shops + shop-specific coupons 
- And more! Your virtual goodie bag will be updated with more coupons and offers from local partners and sponsors all season long, so be sure to keep checking back!


How Your Fundraising Helps

Michael Black-SmithMeet Michael – one of our 2017 Bike MS Champions

In the midst of getting licensed to be an architect, Michael Black-Smith’s speech started to slur and his right side went numb. The onset of MS was sudden and severe, and in June 2009 he was officially diagnosed.

He was able to get his license, but due to his symptoms he had to stop working. That first year, he went through a state of denial. He tested out multiple different treatment options, all while dealing with the many unknowns of what his future would look like. That’s when he reached out to the MS Society and attended a support group. It was helpful, but five years ago, he and his wife decided to start their own group for couples dealing with the challenges of MS.

“We were dealing with issues like what happens to my career, and do we start a family. The biggest thing the MS Society has done for me is to facilitate that support group and publicize it to the community.”


Dates & Deadlines

Make sure you are in the know about housing, money turn-in deadlines, Bike MS event and more. Click here for a full list of 2017 important dates and deadlines.

  • Request FREE promotional materials
  • Take the pledge to be a responsible cyclist
  • May 15-19: Bike to Work Week
  • May 31: World MS Day
  • June 1: Ocean City Housing Opens
  • June 10 & July 22: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Pick up FREE Bike MS promotional materials and connect with other cyclists at the Conshohocken Brewing Company (along the Schuylkill River Trail)
  • August 1: Early Money Turn-In/ Long Sleeve T-Shirt Deadline *** Note: the amount to receive a Long-Sleeve has increased to $500 this year. Contact us to update your goal today!
  • August 18-September 20: Bike Inspections
  • August 21: Rider Expo, presented by XFINITY Live! & Rider Number Pick Up
  • August 31: Rider Number Mailing Deadline
  • September 23 & 24: Bike MS: City to Shore 2017!

Top Lists

Top Fundraising Teams

1. SCREENS N SPOKES, $32,900
2. Lou's Loonies, $8,164
3. UPHS/PENN, $7,648
4. Jersey's Team, $7,250
5. Friends Of Jack, $6,640

Top Individuals

1. Ian Harris, $30,000
2. Joseph Grabowski, $11,000
3. Jack Beiter, $6,540
4. Bernard Plantz, $5,145
5. Roger Dennis, $5,000

Largest Teams

1. UPHS/PENN, 182
2. Team Ox, 78
3. Team Comcast, 61
4. Jersey's Team 49 KPMG, 41
5. Peddler's Shop Cycling Club - PSCC, 41


Click here to see the 2016 Top Teams & Top 250 VIP Club members.

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