Bike Virginia 2013 Tour to Award Grants For Community Biking Initiatives

RICHMOND, Va. - June 12, 2013 - PRLog -- The Bike Virginia Tour (http://www.bikevirginia.org/) is pleased to announce that three regional grant applicants from Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke Counties have been selected to receive funding for community-based bicycling initiatives.  
Two grants of $1,700 and one grant of $1,500 will be given to support projects in each community. The winners of the 2013 Bike Virginia Sunrise Grants applied for grants to support three very unique projects.

 “We are so pleased to provide this grant money to the local communities we will be visiting during the Tour later this month,” said Kim Perry, Ed.D., Executive Director of Bike Virginia. “These communities have been great to work over the past year as we have developed what we feel is the best Bike Virginia Tour ever. We are glad to be able to give something back to these communities in support of their local bike initiatives”

2013 Bike Virginia Sunrise Grants recipients are:

Botetourt County Parks and Recreation

The agency will use the funds to hire consultants to prepare a draft plan and logistics guide for the proposed Daleville Greenway. The applicant sought funding to support the second phase of development of the project following initial work by a local committee.

Craig County

The county plans to use the grant money to help fund a portion of the printing costs for a county tourism map that will highlight recreational, historic, green space, and cultural points of interest. The maps will be distributed through a variety of channels including regional and state tourism agencies.

The Virginia Cycling Center

The cycling center will use the grant to support the development of initiatives to secure further funding and generate awareness for a proposed multi-sport bicycling facility in the greater Roanoke region. Plans for the facility include a velodrome, cyclocross course, mountain biking trails, and family cycling areas. The grant will also be used to help fund the development of a cyclocross racing series in 2013 that will eventually be held at the cycling center on a permanent basis.

The Bike Virginia Sunrise Grant program is one of the advocacy programs of Bike Virginia, a state-wide 501(C)(3). The organization works to encourage bicycling and to make Virginia a better place to live, work, and play through bicycling initiatives. Grants are offered to specified communities one time per year based on the location and route selected for that year’s Bike Virginia Tour.

Funds for the grants are generated through participant registration fees for the annual Bike Virginia Tour. This year, the Tour will visit the region from Lexington to Roanoke during the week of June 21-26. The tour visits a new region of the state each year. In 2013, the tour will bring up to 1,600 cyclists from across the US and international locations to enjoy the beauty, history, and culture of the region.

The grant awards will be given to the individual agencies during the Bike Virginia Tour event at Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista on June 22 at 6:00 pm.

For more information on this year’s Bike Virginia Tour, visit www.BikeVirginia.org or contact Kim Perry at 804-477-1780 or kim@bikeva.org.