Think You’re Committed? Meet This National Bike Challenge Duo

There’s still snow on the ground in Atlantic Mine, Michigan — 17 inches, that is.

But that hasn’t stopped Keren Tischler and Curt Webb (pictured right) from hopping on their bicycles nearly every day for trips to town, work or just for fun.

What got this couple riding their bicycles? The National Bike Challenge.

Tischler and Webb’s persistence has pedaled their tiny community of Atlantic Mine to the top 10 list of the National Bike Challenge’s warm-up period, putting the pressure on cities of all sizes to try and catch up. Get this: They’ve already logged nearly 1,000 miles between the two of them!

Now in its second year, the National Bike Challenge continues its mission to inspire and empower millions of Americans to ride their bikes for transportation, recreation and better health — and it starts tomorrow!

The Challenge is simple, free and open to everyone in the United States. Sign up as an individual or as a team, log your miles, share your stories and encourage others to join you. Users can download the free, GPS-enabled Endomondo mobile app to record travel distance and automatically upload their miles. Riders will compete for prizes and awards from sponsors Sierra Nevada and Scott Natural on the local and national level.

Tischler and Webb have contributed a sizable number of pedal strokes toward the 1 million miles logged during the warm-up period — despite Atlantic Mine’s notorious lake-effect snow.

“The National Bike Challenge, as you can see, has been a motivator for us,” Tischler said. “It’s like having a bike buddy to ride with in challenging conditions. Our community is in the early stages of bike friendliness. We want to advance the mission of the League at the local level, so that others in our community can feel safe making the choice to go by bike.”

This year, Tischler and Webb intend to ride more miles than drive, and they’re considering ditching their car entirely.

“And it all started with wanting to ride one day a week for a summer — small steps add up to big things,” Tischler adds. “We love the freedom and the challenge. We get exercise and time to think. We feel fortunate to have the physical ability to transport ourselves — we’ll save driving for when we are physically unable to bike.”

See if you can keep up with Tischler and Webb this summer during the Challenge — register now!