USA Cycling Launches “We Champion,” an Ongoing Initiative to Increase Access, Participation, and Excellence in Cycling

June 17, 2021

he We Champion initiative starts on June 26 with a series of online and real life rides to encourage riders at all levels to get involved and celebrate cycling

June 17, 2021 (COLORADO SPRINGS, CO)– The We Champion initiative, kicking off on USA Cycling’s 100-year anniversary, highlights the organization’s past, current, and new commitments to cycling for all Americans. With over 33 million riders joining or rejoining the sport in 2020, We Champion seeks to make more Americans healthier, happier and better on two wheels by championing accessibility, participation, and excellence in cycling.

Kicking off on June 26, and running through to July 18, USA Cycling will be challenging thousands of riders to celebrate the Tour de France by getting out to ride with their community, on their own, or even online—all to see how many miles they can cover over three weeks. USA Cycling will be hosting a series of virtual rides on Zwift with elite esports title holders, including women-only events. The further and more frequently you ride, the better the chances to win prizes from participating partners like Hyperice, Skratch Labs, and Spot Insurance. Riders who want to log their miles for the We Champion Challenge should register here starting June 17. Donations can be made here which not only directly help Team USA bring home Olympic gold, but also support programs that bring new riders into the sport and set the stage for an unprecedented number of medals in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

USA Cycling champions cycling through three strategic pillars: Programs, Participation, and Performance.

• Programs aim to get more people into the sport and invite new cyclists joining or rejoining the sport. This will be achieved by improving accessibility to get more kids on bikes through the recently launched Let’s Ride camps, rolling out new benefits for members, and improving rider safety through the Safe Sport program.
• Participation is about more people riding together, more often. Increasing participation will be driven by enabling more community events and sharing knowledge with those that organize them across more than 2,500 grassroots events, all the way up to National Championships for all cycling disciplines.
• Performance is focused on helping more people achieve their potential by fostering excellence for American athletes. The Olympic Development Academy, in its first year, and the USA Olympic Cycling team are the top end of that development, but there are multiple coaching and mentoring opportunities for aspiring racers of any age, including the Centers of Excellence youth development clubs and Collegiate Cycling infrastructure.

“We Champion is intended to bring the best of cycling to light for anyone, from Olympians to the young kids doing laps around their neighborhood after school,” says Rob DeMartini, CEO of USA Cycling. “It’s also a reminder that, by developing opportunities for others, we all benefit. We want to be sure we’re also adding value to the industry beyond sanctioning events and growing racing. While that remains a cornerstone, we also have a responsibility to welcome new cyclists to the sport and help foster a love of the bike for years to come.”

“Part of championing cycling means including more value for members of USA Cycling,” says Matt Heitmann, USA Cycling’s CMO. “We’re offering injury insurance, discounts on cycling streaming networks, tax deductions, discounts on premium cycling products, and licensing for over 2500 competitive national events.”

Riders wishing to participate in the We Champion Challenge can log their miles, donate, and qualify for prizes throughout the month of June through usacycling.org/wechampion.

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ABOUT USA CYCLING (usacycling.org)

USA Cycling is the national governing body for the sport of cycling and oversees the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclocross, and BMX. USA Cycling’s mission is to champion accessibility, participation, and excellence in the sport of cycling to make more Americans healthier, happier, and better on two wheels while achieving sustained international racing success. USA Cycling supports cyclists at all levels, from those just beginning in the sport and participating in fun rides to international caliber racers. The organization identifies, develops, and selects cyclists to represent the United States in international competition through the support of kids’ and interscholastic programs, amateur bike racing and grassroots development programs, and the provision of critical infrastructure to run organized racing. USA Cycling has a membership of 100,000, annually sanctions over 2,500 events, and is a proud member of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).