PGH to be crowned “Rust Cup Champion” in Youngstown, OH on Oct 18th

For Immediate Release

PITTSBURGH BEATS CLEVELAND IN BIKE CHALLENGE AND BRINGS THE RUST CUP TO THE CITY

More than 1,500 PGHers Respond By Riding Over 600,000 Miles To Victory

  4 October 2013 – The five-month long National Bike Challenge came to a close on October 1st. The nonprofit organization Bike Pittsburgh rallied 1,513 Pittsburghers to ride 675,665 miles, totaling 1,614,584 points, which placed Pittsburgh third out of participating US cities with populations over 200,000. More importantly, Pittsburgh beat Cleveland in the Rust Belt Battle of the Bikes – a challenge which Bike Cleveland posed to Bike Pittsburgh at the beginning of the 2013 Challenge season.  Pittsburgh’s victory brings the Rust Cup Trophy and Rust Belt Champion Title to Pittsburgh until the two cities pedal it out again during next year’s Challenge.

“It’s a thrill to bring the first Rust Cup to Pittsburgh,” said BikePGH Executive Director Scott Bricker. “The National Bike Challenge is a great way to build camaraderie among bicyclists in Pittsburgh and take our storied rivalry with Cleveland to another level. Pittsburghers really stepped up to battle Cleveland, but people were telling us, ‘I thought you said this was going to be a challenge.’”

Bike Cleveland’s Executive Director Jacob VanSickle warns Pittsburgh, “Don’t get to close to the Rust Cup Trophy, we are bringing it back to Cleveland next year.” BikeCLE organizer Shelli Snyder has already begun to re-assess their strategy for next year, “In 2014, my threat to the masses will be – “Start logging. Or I will stick a Steelers spoke card in your wheel.”

BikePGH will host a local celebration to announce the results at Over the Bar Bicycle Cafe on Friday, 10/4, at 5:30pm.  Trophies for the leading local point getter in the Men’s and Women’s category along with the team with the most points will be honored at  BikePGH’s Annual Member Meeting next week. An Official Rust Cup Award Ceremony between BikePGH & BikeCLE is scheduled for October 18th @ 4pm, halfway between the two cities on neutral ground in Youngstown, OH at the Box Car Lounge and Grill. The Rust Cup Trophy was fabricated by Rust Belt Welding in Cleveland, OH and it will rotate among National Bike Challenge champions in the Rust Belt.

BikePGH is a 501c(3) non-profit organization that is transforming Pittsburgh streets and communities into vibrant, healthy places that are safe and accessible for everyone to bike and walk.

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The Rust Cup Awards Ceremony details are as follows

When: October 18th @ 4PM

Where: The Boxcar Lounge and Cafe

Who: BikePGH, BikeCLE & and any representatives from the rival cities

How: by any means necessary. This is a possible bike route that some riders may be taking

We hope to see you there.  We have a feeling PGH will be victorious.