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42Ride Pedals Challenge to Benefit Alliance for Biking & Walking

Posted: 06/19/2009

Forty-two bike enthusiasts taking off this month across the country, are pedaling a challenge to people along to way to support grassroots biking and walking advocacy. The 42Ride, sponsored by 42BELOW Vodka, wants tweeters to follow the ride on Twitter. If 100,000 sign up as followers on Twitter, 42BELOW will make a $42,000 donation to the Alliance
for Biking & Walking…

“Bikes are probably more culturally and socially relevant than ever,” says 42BELOW Brand Director Matt Djokovic. “Through 42Ride, we aim to provide bike enthusiasts (21+) with an experience they will never forget and act as a catalyst for cities around the country to continue to improve their bicycle infrastructures.”

The 42Ride festivities kicked off yesterday in New York City at the 42BELOW-presented Bicycle Film Festival dinner where 42BELOW announced the partnership. From there the 42 riders are heading south to Philadelphia and then will split into two groups of 21 riders heading westwards, one touring the north and one touring the south. Participants will pedal an impressive total of 4,017 miles across the country from New York City to Los Angeles, witnessing some of the most beautiful scenery the country has to offer.

“Bicycling is one of the best ways to explore your community and our country in a healthy and sustainable way,” says Jeffrey Miller, President/CEO of the Alliance for Biking & Walking. “We hope with the awareness 42Ride generates that communities across America will become better places for bicycling and walking.”

The Alliance is asking all its members, supporters, and biking enthusiasts to support biking and walking by signing up to follow the 42Ride on twitter at http://twitter.com/WeLikeBike42. If the challenge is met, the Alliance will use the $42,000 donation to further its work strengthening and uniting grassroots biking and walking advocacy organizations across North America.

“This is a huge challenge to biking and walking supporters,” says Miller. “The support of individuals is key here; people who sign up to follow this exciting ride can also feel good that their signing up and getting all their friends and family to sign up also is benefiting grassroots advocacy.”

About the Alliance: Alliance for Biking & Walking is the North American coalition of 140 grassroots biking and walking advocacy organizations. The Alliance works to strengthen state and local organizations through grants, training, sharing best practices and resources. For more information about their work or to find a local organization you can work with, check out http://www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org.

About 42BELOW Vodka: 42BELOW Vodka was launched in 1998 in the premium vodka segment and has shown strong volume growth since its inception. 42BELOW Vodka comes from New Zealand, which is known for its sense of adventure and environmental conscience. The biking culture parallels these attributes. In the spirit of the brand, 42BELOW Vodka’s commitment to the biking world incorporates this collective and environmental progressive movement. 42 BELOW vodka, acquired by Bacardi Ltd. in 2006, is currently distributed in more than 25 countries.