The Mission of Bike Virginia is to make Virginia better through Bicycling. Funds from the tour event support the following activities:
- Grants to communities in the host region for the tour. In 2013, three grants will be awarded totaling $5,000 for 3 unique bicycling initiatives. The awards will be given at the event.
Bike Virginia’s Kim Perry, Executive Director, and Tom Bowden, Board Chairman at the Capital receiving the Governor’s Award for Bicycle Transportation Safety Initiatives in 2012.
- Contribute over $30,000 annually to local non-profits in the communities hosting the Bike Virginia Tour. These contributions are made to groups that host rest stops for the riders.
- Consultative services to communities on biking projects across the state.
- Connecting riders to cycling activities across the state through web and social media.
- Insurance for operation of Bike Smart, a hands on program that teaches K-12 educators how to incorporate bicycling into grade school curricula. This is a collaborative project with the Department of Health and the Department of Education
- Advocating for biking infrastructure and law on the local and state level.
- Communicating important bicycling news and action alerts to over 13,000 people in the region.
- Working on national biking policy.
- Representation on the State of Virginia Bicycle Advisory Board
- Representation on Capital Hill for the National Bike Summit
- Representation at the National Bicycle Tour Director’s Association Annual Meeting
Additionally the Bike Virginia Tour supports the organization’s mission in four ways.
1. The tour highlights the benefits of embracing bicycle tourism. We show the communities that we visit what a great group of people bicyclists are and how supporting bicycling tourism is good for the regional economy.
2. The tour introduces people from across the world to the beautiful cycling in Virginia. By doing so we increase the presence of cycling in those communities which helps to grow support of biking from businesses, elected officials, and citizens.
3. We raise awareness of safe bicycling practices and laws. First by educating participating bicyclists at the tour about state laws and safety practices. Second, we publish information in local media outlets about Share the Road practices. In 2012 this initiative won the Governor’s Award for Transportation Safety.
4. Inspiring people to bike. Seeing the tour is a great way to get people interested in riding.
Your participation in our event, purchase of merchandise, and contributions during the year make all this work possible.