Accomplishments
Pedal for Prizes penned the following article for the October 2011 Old Brooklyn News to capture most of what we, as an all-volunteer group, have accomplished to date.
Our third annual Old Brooklyn Pedal for Prizes will take place on May 19, 2012. Would you like to contribute to our efforts? Please consider donating to Pedal for Prizes. For more information, please contact us at pedalforprizes@gmail.com.
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Old Brooklyn grassroots group celebrates cycling, contributes to growing local bicycle movement
More bicycles are on city streets than ever before in recent history, and a grassroots group from Old Brooklyn is helping lead a burgeoning movement toward cycling in Cleveland.
This group, Old Brooklyn Pedal for Prizes, is a collective of five neighborhood residents and merchants that understands the power of cycling for not only health and environmental sustainability, but community development as well.
This volunteer troop of bike advocates has coordinated free events that market their Old Brooklyn neighborhood, with more than 500 cyclists in attendance in 2011.
“We organize bicycle events as a way to promote our community’s assets, including our local businesses, parks and recreation facilities, and living opportunities,” said Jeffrey Sugalski, an Old Brooklyn resident and lead organizer of Pedal for Prizes. “Cycling is a fun way for people from around the region to explore the neighborhood.”
The group’s marquee event of the same namesake is hosted each May in partnership with merchants and community organizations to which cyclists rode their bikes. Visiting these destinations, they increase their chances to win one or more of the $4,000 worth of prizes the Pedal team solicited.
Their model has been so effective that groups in other communities have replicated it with their own events.
In September, Pedal for Prizes debuted a new event, the Old Brooklyn Bikequinox. Fifty people from across the Cleveland region took part in a bike-powered trivia ride. Everyone that participated received a bicycle-related prize valued between ten and seventy-five dollars.
Pedal for Prizes has also organized neighborhood bike tours and social rides, and has advocated for bicycle-related improvements both within the community and throughout Cleveland.
“Pedal’s events introduce new people to cycling and help build social ties and a support network among existing riders,” said John Young, the owner of Speed Exterminating and a key Pedal for Prizes team member. “We are a small but important part of the big change going on around cycling in Cleveland.”
Both John and Jeffrey, along with residents Becky Derwis and Jackie Sliva and Honey Hut Ice Cream Shop owner Bruce Page, feel that the work of Pedal for Prizes not only encourages families to learn about Old Brooklyn’s offerings, but has also inspired many to help advance the cause of cycling for enjoyment, exercise, and environmental sustainability.
