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You did it! Thanks to your support, the Alliance took first place in the 2 Mile Challenge, earning a $35,000 grant from the good folks at CLIF BAR.

The 2 Mile Challenge is CLIF BAR’s online effort to fight climate change by encouraging bicycle travel for short trips. In the U.S., 40 percent of all urban trips are two miles or less, but 90 percent of those short distances are made by automobile. In just a few months this summer, the Challenge replaced more than 65,000 car trips—while donating $100,000 to bicycle advocacy and climate protection.

The Alliance was selected to lead the Gold Team and, from coast to coast, bicycle enthusiasts put their pedal power behind the effort. Collectively, our team:

• Logged more than 225,000 miles
• Replaced more than 35,000 car trips
• Saved nearly 208,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and
• Came in first place!

“Congratulations to the Gold Team for the bell-to-bell run of the 2011 2 Mile Challenge!” said Ryan Mayo, brand experience manager for CLIF BAR. “It was a hard-fought victory that came with a ton of passion for getting out of the car and onto your bikes to help support the Alliance for Biking & Walking. We’d like to thank all of the participants this year for a great 2 Mile Challenge effort that will live on through the grassroots bicycle advocacy work of the Alliance and our other two nonprofit beneficiaries: Safe Routes to School Partnership and 350.org.”

Thank you again, Gold Team members, for taking the Challenge. And, thank you, CLIF BAR, for such an innovative and fun initiative!

We’re more than two months into the 2 Mile Challenge for 2011 and the Alliance Gold Team has logged nearly 112,000 miles and replaced 14,700 car trips. To get to know the folks pedaling to promote local and state bike-ped advocacy, we’ve been profiling some of our Gold Team leaders, like Pete Beers in Virginia and Julie Viens in California.

This week, meet Chesla Seely-Anschutz. She’s been biking for so long she can’t even remember her first ride. For this Wisconsin resident, bicycling serves her wallet and her health. Here’s some of what she told us about why she joined the 2 Mile Challenge and the Alliance Gold Team:

“I live in a small town of just under 10,000 in the heart of Door County, Wisconsin. From my house, if you draw a 2-mile radius circle, it pretty much covers most of my town, Sturgeon Bay. So, it’s easy for me to bike instead of drive.

I have two part-time jobs, which I commute to each day. I take my bike most places I need to go. I live simply, but like biking and derive a good feeling from knowing that my little efforts are doing the environment some good. I also enjoy biking longer distances… putting on miles. Most people consider it exercise, but I don’t. I just enjoy biking. It’s my therapy!

Last year, I discovered the 2 Mile challenge on the Clif Bar website and signed up with the Gold Team. Even though the Red Team won, we sure gave them a run for the money! The 2MC has been fun for me to take part in and, this year, my husband and my youngest son are participating also.

Here in Door County there are lots of beautiful places and nice roads to bike, yet I’d like to see more bike lanes and paths, which would ultimately encourage more people to bike and be safe. I’m a member of a local advocacy group, Door County Silent Sports Alliance, and we’re, at present, working with the local officials on a county-wide bicycle plan.”

Join Pete, Julie and Chesla — Take the 2 Mile Challenge today!

The Alliance Gold Team is still rocking it in the 2 Mile Challenge, with members logging more than 10,000 miles of bicycle travel in the past week alone. We wouldn’t be in first place if it weren’t for dedicated folks across the country who have replaced car trips with bicycle travel and are putting their efforts toward winning the Alliance a $35,000 grant from CLIF Bar. To get to know these bike commuters and enthusiasts a little better, we’re doing 2-minute interviews with some 2 Mile Challenge participants.

Last week, we kicked it off by catching up with Pete “Dirt” Beers, a bike commuter in Virgina. This week, we spoke to Julie Viens, a senior designer living in Van Nuys, CA. Julie has racked up nearly 1,500 points, pedaling more than 2,600 miles, avoiding 675 car trips and keeping 2,430 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere.

What was the first car trip you replaced with a bicycle?
A trip to the grocery store. Once I realized how simple it was to replace a car with a bicycle, basket and backpack I began rethinking how I could navigate the city.

Why do you ride instead of drive?
Traffic in Los Angeles is nuts, then trying to find a parking spot can get crazy and expensive. It’s so much easier to ride a bike.

What’s your favorite two-mile trip
(Though this is always much longer than a 2-mile trip) Riding my bike to catch my favorite food truck, Lake Street Creamery.

Why did you take the 2 Mile Challenge?
The 2 Mile Challenge starts right as some of the organized rides I like to do finish. It keeps me on the bike, and out of excuses, when I am not training for a particular course.

If you could make two changes to make your community more bike friendly, what would they be?
First, I would add more bicycle friendly rail cars to the Metro system. Secondly, initiate a voucher/coupon system to help buy/provide bicycle helmets for kids and adults.

Join Julie and Pete- Take the 2 Mile Challenge today!

Thanks to the participation of thousands of bicycle enthusiasts from across the nation, the Alliance has replaced nearly 12,000 car trips with bicycle travel in the Clif Bar 2 Mile Challenge. So who are the two-wheeling women and men who have logged 92,500 miles for the Alliance Gold Team?

Well, one of our most dedicated riders, is Pete Beers. For the purposes of the 2MC, Beers goes by the nickname Dirt, but in the real world he lives in Falls Church, VA, and works as a software product manager for a large company in Washington, DC. Since the start of the Challenge, Pete has logged nearly 11,700 miles, replaced 666 car trips and saved 10,775 pounds of globe-warming carbon dioxide.

To get to know our Gold Team members a bit better, we’ll be posting 2-minute interviews with some of our 2 Mile Challenge leaders this summer. To kick us off, here’s a glimpse into Pete’s passion for bicycling…

What was the first car trip you replaced with a bicycle?

The question is backwards. I started replacing bicycle trips with car trips for a little while in high school and for a little while after graduation. Since then, I primarily ride everywhere and occasionally replace a bike ride with a car trip. I ride 300+ days and over 10,000 miles per year. I drove my car a few times last year.

Why do you ride instead of drive?

The DC area has been said to have the second or third worst traffic congestion in the US. I’m one of the few people that I know who not only enjoys, but LOVES the hour+ commute to work every day.

What’s your favorite two-mile trip?

Three words for you: Westover Beer Garden. Great place to enjoy a cold one with friends and loved ones.

Why did you take the 2 Mile Challenge?

It isn’t a challenge for me to leave the car at home. The 2MC gives me an easy way to show people how easy it is to leave the car at home. It is really fun too!

If you could make two changes to make your community more bike friendly, what would they be?

The “If I had a magic wand” answer is easy: 1) Triple the price of gasoline for personal consumption; and 2) Double the price of personal automobiles. My practical answer is to work to show people that they can live better by turning pedals. I’ve had a little success at that. I’d love to have more.

Join Pete; sign up for the Alliance Gold Team today!

You know you’ve got a pretty good idea when the U.S. Secretary of Transportation immediately jumps on board. Well, just a few days after we announced the return of the 2 Mile Challenge, Secretary Ray LaHood threw his support behind the innovative competition.

The 2 Mile Challenge is CLIF BAR’s online effort to fight climate change by encouraging bicycle travel for short trips. In the U.S., 40 percent of all urban trips are two miles or less, but 90 percent of those short distances are made by automobile. For this year’s Challenge, CLIF BAR aims to replace 100,000 car trips - while donating $100,000 to bicycle advocacy and climate protection.

After a strong showing in 2010, the Alliance has been selected to lead the Gold Team, and we need your help to win $35,000 for local and state bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations! Here’s how you can take Ray LaHood’s advice and get involved:

• Go to http://www.2MileChallenge.com and join the Gold Team.
• Visit your profile each day and log all the miles you travel by bike. Every trip you take earns points for the Alliance! 
• Challenge your friends and share your progress through social media and you’ll earn even more points for the Gold Team.
• Continue to log your trips until October 31, 2011. 
• At the end of the competition the team with the most points will earn a $35,000 grant for its nonprofit.

Want to spread the word about the 2 Mile Challenge? Click here for a handy postcard, with basic information and tips, to forward to your friends or print for your coworkers.

The Gold Team is already going strong. We’ve traveled more than 65,000 miles and replaced 8,300 car trips — good enough for first place! And we’ve got a few notable names from the bike/ped world pedaling for the Alliance, including:

• Mia Birk, author of Joyride and principal at Alta Planning + Design
• Jim Sayer, executive director of the Adventure Cycling Association
• Musician Ben Sollee
• The staff at PUBLIC bikes

Join them by signing up for the 2 Mile Challenge today.

The Alliance is proud to join CLIF BAR’s push to replace 100,000 car trips with healthy, pollution-free bicycle travel this summer and fall. Returning for a second year, the Alliance is excited to once again lead the Gold Team in the nationwide 2 Mile Challenge.

The 2 Mile Challenge is CLIF BAR’s innovative, online effort to fight climate change by encouraging bicycle travel for short trips. In the U.S., 40 percent of all urban trips are two miles or less, but 90 percent of those short distances are made by automobile. CLIF BAR started the 2 Mile Challenge to build community among current bicyclists, encourage more citizens to travel on two wheels and support nonprofits that are working to increase active transportation.

For this year’s Challenge, CLIF BAR aims to replace 100,000 car trips - while donating $100,000 to bicycle advocacy and climate protection.

• Three nonprofits have been selected as team leaders: Alliance for Biking & Walking, Safe Routes to School Partnership and 350.org
• Each team’s total points will determine how much money they receive. First place will earn a $35,000 grant; second place $25,000 and third place $20,000. 
• The remaining $20,000 will go to grassroots initiatives across the U.S., based on rider participation and creativity.

Join the Gold Team and start pedaling for the Alliance today! Participants will earn points for themselves and their teams by riding their bikes, logging their miles, challenging friends and sharing their progress through social media. In 2010, the Alliance Gold Team came in second place, logging more than 18,000 bike trips that traveled nearly 167,000 miles and saved 153,000 tons of global-warming carbon dioxide.

“We’re excited to continue the 2 Mile Challenge partnership with the Alliance in 2011,” Ryan Mayo, Brand Experience Manager for CLIF BAR, says. “By growing and strengthening grassroots bicycle and pedestrian advocacy in the U.S., the Alliance’s mission is in lockstep with CLIF BAR’s hope to encourage people powered transportation as a means to fight climate change and invigorate our communities.”

“The 2 Mile Challenge is a fantastic tool and incentive to get folks to park their cars and hop on their bikes for those easily pedaled short trips,” Jeffrey Miller, the Alliance’s President / CEO, says. “It brings out the best of everyone’s competitive spirit, the positive reinforcement of doing good by the planet, and a social media platform that takes bicycling advocacy to a new level. The Alliance is grateful and honored to be included and to share this tool with our many members and supporters.”

Visit http://www.2milechallenge.com and sign up for the Alliance Gold Team today. The Challenge runs from May 12 to October 31, 2011.

It was a nail-biter.

In the final weeks of the competition, the Alliance’s Gold Team mounted a valiant come-from-behind surge in the 2 Mile Challenge.

Alas, it wasn’t enough to propel us to first place. But we’re excited to congratulate our friends at Trips for Kids for bringing home the victory and grateful to the nearly 2,000 participants who pedaled for the Alliance.

The 2 Mile Challenge is a national competition created by CLIF Bar to encourage people to replace short car trips with bicycle travel. To lead the charge in 2010, CLIF Bar selected three nonprofit organizations, awarded each a $25,000 grant and assigned them to represent one of three teams: Gold, Blue, or Red.

The Alliance went for the Gold and 1,825 residents across the country joined our team. Over the past six months, our dedicated team members pedaled thousands of miles in their communities and logged their bike trips on the 2 Mile Challenge interactive website. The results are impressive.

The Gold Team:

• Traveled 166,441 miles

• saved 153,126 pounds of carbon dioxide

• and logged 18,106 trips on their bicycles

We may have come in second place, but we put up a first-place effort. Kudos to all our amazing Gold Team members for their efforts this summer.

“People from all 50 states have responded to the 2 Mile Challenge because it’s fun, healthy and gives them a tangible way to battle climate change in their own communities,” Lauren Hatfield, lifestyle experience manager at Clif Bar & Company, said in a press release this morning. “They also get to do twice the good by supporting non-profits who bring the bike and climate movements to broader audiences nationwide.”

“Our heart-felt thanks go out to all the participants helping to raise awareness and funds for grassroots bicycle advocacy and climate change education this year,” added Gary Erickson, CLIF Bar’s founder, co-owner and co-CEO.

While the CLIF Bar 2 Mile Challenge team competition is over for the year — slated to return in Spring 2011 — the website remains active for people who to want to continue or join, log bike miles and challenge friends to ride their bikes for short trips.

Click here to take the challenge.

For Ben Sollee, the call of the open road had dulled to a ragged whisper.

As a hardscrabble musician, the Kentucky native sprinted from town to town, taking advantage of every opportunity to play his cello and showcase his incredible songwriting talent for audiences across the nation. But traveling at faster-than-human pace left Sollee disoriented. Instead of savoring the lifestyle, he could barely remember the communities he visited, the people he met.

It was time for a change.

Instead of focusing on the destinations, Sollee decided to reclaim the journey.

“So, in early 2009, when I saw a commercial for an Xtracycle cargo bike, my mind spun into fantasy: the road, a bike, my cello and music to play,” Sollee wrote in American Bicyclist this summer. “At that moment I saw the bike as an offering of limitations, a tool to re-humanize the pace of touring. And, with my 60 pounds of gear loaded onto a 40-pound bike, there were plenty of limitations.”

Not the least of which was the fact that Sollee was a bike rider, but not a serious cyclist. During the first leg of his two-wheeling tour — a 350-mile jaunt to the Bonnaroo Music Festival — pedaling 50 miles a day was taxing. But cruising on backcountry roads, a cool breeze blowing away his touring stress, Sollee got hooked. A few months later, in December, he planned a more ambitious bike tour from North Carolina down through Florida.

That’s when he shifted from an experimenting artist to a budding bicycle advocate, promoting not only his music but local bike-ped organizations.

“We found what would become our model event in Savannah, Georgia,” Sollee wrote in the article. “We teamed up with the Savannah Bicycle Campaign [an Alliance member organization] to host an open-door fundraiser and show at a local bicycle hotspot, kicking the event off with an amazing night ride through the historic streets. We were able to become a vehicle for the bike group’s message, helping drive membership and getting great coverage in the Savannah Morning News. This event bridged what seemed like a magical mix of advocacy, community engagement and shared arts.”

For his current tour, Sollee took the mantle of an all-out activist. And he’s not just promoting the benefits of bicycling by partnering with local advocates; he’s also helping the Alliance.

“The weather has been terrific and the people are inspiring,” Sollee wrote on the blog this week. “But we’ve only just begun. And we’ve decided to put all these miles to good use as part of CLIF Bar’s 2 Mile Challenge.”

“The 2 Mile Challenge is a response to a staggering statistic that 40 percent of trips in the U.S. are within two miles of peoples house and 90 percent of those trips utilize a car,” he explained. “We hope that this bike tour and riding for the challenge will inspire other folks to take up the charge. We’ve signed up to ride for the Gold Team, which will benefit the Alliance for Biking & Walking. Go team!”

Have you stepped up to the Challenge yet?

It only takes a few minutes to sign up. It only takes a few seconds to log all your bike trips online each day. But the payoff is huge: If our Gold Team logs the most points by the end of October, the Alliance will win a $25,000 grant from CLIF Bar.

Join Sollee in taking the Challenge — then find a tour date in your area and pedal out to meet the bike-touring musician in person. We’ve already go his September 25 show in Washington, DC circled on our calendars!