Dear Bicycling Supporters, 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bike Virginia Announces Plans to Develop Virginia’s First Comprehensive Website for Bicyclists
Bidding Underway to Build the State’s Largest Cycling Resource
April 2, 2013 (Richmond VA) – Bike Virginia announced today that the organization is in the development stages for a comprehensive cycling resource website that will provide cycling- related information and activities from across the state of Virginia. The website will serve to support both new and experienced cyclists of all ages and skill levels, helping connect people with places to ride and encourage cycling and bicycle tourism across the state. The joint announcement was made today by Tom Bowden, Chairman of the Bike Virginia Board of Directors, and the organization’s Executive Director Dr. Kim Perry.
“Our new website will serve as a resource for people interested in bicycling all over Virginia, as well as for tourists who visit Virginia from other states and from all over the world. We want to share information that will make it easier for people to be active and to support drawing active tourists to the area,” said Bowden. “Cycling accounts for millions of dollars in revenue for local Virginia businesses each year. Because this site will serve as a central portal for everything related to Virginia cycling, we also anticipate that it will attract more bicycle tourists to our state.”
The project is being developed by Bike Virginia, a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization that works to improve the state of active living in Virginia through bicycling initiatives. Funding for the project is provided by proceeds from the annual Bike Virginia Tour and a generous donation for Primal Custom Cycling Apparel. The Bike Virginia organization’s mission is to help Virginia benefit from and grow bicycling, to positively influence health and the environment, and enjoy the associated economic benefits.
The site will include a ‘places to ride’ section, a calendar of activities, cycling news, information on commuting by bike and riding for fun and fitness, cycling club information, tourism centers, bike shops, links to cycling- related businesses, trail maps and more. Communities from across the state will be invited to participate by providing information regarding their cycling-related activities and places to ride via an online submittal form.
Perry is excited about developing Virginia’s most comprehensive cycling website.
“This revolutionary website is a completely new concept for the state. The site will serve as the collective place for information related to bicycling filling a large information void in the state. Previously, those interested in biking had to search in several locations for this type of information, and the quality and the details they wanted were not always easy to find or consistent in nature. We are looking forward to providing a great user experience that encourages riding by offering a robust yet easy to use resource”.
Corporations and businesses are invited to help sponsor all or part of the website.
“There are many companies that would benefit from being associated with this
comprehensive resource center,” said Perry. “Bicycle manufacturers, environmentally- concerned companies, hospitals and other health organizations, as well as businesses that cater to tourism will have the opportunity to have their names associated with a resource center that is expected to generate thousands of site visitors each month. We have a variety of sponsorship levels available, ranging from major sponsorships to small vendor
sponsorships. We invite interested businesses to contact us so we can discuss which
potential sponsorship opportunities would best meet their needs.”
The site is expected to ‘go-live’ this fall. For more information, please contact Dr. Kim Perry at 804-477-1780 or via e-mail at kim@bikeva.org.