The Urban Assault Ride (UAR) has evolved from a lifelong love for bikes and all things bike related. Members of the UAR crew have done it all: skinned a knee while jumping from a big wheel onto a mattress, toured the U.S. on two human-powered wheels, raced with some of the best road and mountain bikers in the world, caught strange looks as we transport large quantities of groceries by bicycle, even Pedi-cabbed a person or two along the way. We’d pretty much rather be riding our bikes more than anything...and that’s why we set out to spread the love on two wheels.

If you think about it, there are few problems the bike can’t solve. Bikes make you physically and mentally healthy, bikes reduce dependence on oil, bikes reduce traffic congestion, and bikes don’t pollute. They’re a ton of fun to ride too and that’s the part that we bring to you in the Urban Assault Ride. We’d like to see you use your bike more for transportation and the event is designed to show you how to get around town efficiently on your bike. So, after you experience the event, we hope you’ll be more inclined to grab your bike lock and not your car keys when you cruise down to the store to pick up a 6-pack of Fat Tire.

It’s also important to us to be considerate of the world we live in. We hate to waste resources and do everything we can to produce the event responsibly. These are some of the things that we're doing to make a difference:

    • We ride our bike as often as possible in business and personally. This means riding to meetings, to the grocery store, and for many other errands. We're even known to pedal a tandem solo when our companions are not up to pedaling. They just ring the bell when they want to go faster.

    • We use biodiesel to fuel the truck that drives the gear to your city. Biodiesel uses a renewable resource (vegetable oil) instead of petroleum. It also reduced harmful emissions. The folks at Blue Sun keep our truck running on the bio juice.

    • We use solar power the start/finish the event. The folks at Mobile Solar Power made us a cargo trailer that carries an array of batteries that are charged by a solar panel on top of the trailer. As we drive to the events, the trailer charges along the way.

    • We compost or recycle almost everything that’s left behind after you leave. Our vendor must provide compostable or recyclable materials for all food and drink.

    • Instead of plastic event bags, we use reusable drawstring bags. In addition, we have minimal paper in our packets to reduce waste.

    • We use organic cotton shirts. Not only do they feel better, but there are no harmful pesticides used in the cotton.

In addition we work exclusively with partners that have sustainable business practices: New Belgium, our title sponsor is the poster child for how to run a sustainable business; Clif Bar uses almost all organic ingredients; Trek makes bikes – the most efficient means of transportation out there; and Keen Footwear reuses waste from their shoe production to make bags. If you don’t know about our partners, you will after the Urban Assault Ride.

The staff for our events are primarily volunteers from non-profit organizations that promote bike advocacy and environmental sustainability. Proceeds from the UAR benefit local non-profits. Check them out when you have a chance - they're doing some great things in your community.

Besides being a great event and tons of fun we hope that you can join us in setting an example for how other events can be enviro friendly.

The bike-friendly venues selected for this year’s Urban Assault Rides are Seattle (May 18), Portland (May 25), Austin (June 22), Fort Collins (July 20), Denver (July 27), Madison (August 24), Minneapolis (September 21) and Chicago (September 28). Each was selected for its biking culture and extensive cycling infrastructure. So come on out for beer, bikes, and big wheels, then grab your bike lock the next time you head out to pick up a 6-pack of Fat Tire.

More information at www.urbanassaultride.com