Making Your Miles Count: USA Pro Virtual Cycling Challenge

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1 Mile = $1 to Benefit Spokes of Change

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge, MapMyRIDE and Millennium Promise today announced the USA Pro Virtual Cycling Challenge, an innovative technology-enabled event that offers cycling enthusiasts around the world the chance to “virtually” compete in this summer’s USA Pro Cycling Challenge and help end extreme poverty in Africa.

This novel competition will provide serious and amateur cyclists alike a unique opportunity to support Millennium Promise and its Spokes of Change initiative. For every mile logged during the Virtual Challenge, Millennium Promise Board Chairman Jeff Walker will personally donate $1 to Millennium Promise up to $25,000 in support of the Spokes of Change campaign.

“We always knew we wanted to partner with MapMyRIDE in preparation for our big race,” said CEO of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge Shawn Hunter. “When we realized we have an opportunity to also integrate Millennium Promise, it became even more exciting.”

The USA Pro Virtual Cycling Challenge will run in conjunction with this summer’s USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado, taking place from August 22-28. Participants will be able to virtually ride alongside the top pros and compete in the seven stages of the race by logging their daily rides miles at MayMyRIDE.com, either manually or via the iMapMyRIDE smartphone app or other GPS device. Each dollar raised by participants will support Millennium Promise, the Presenting Title Sponsor of the race, and its Spokes of Change campaign to support Community Health Workers throughout the Millennium Villages Project with essential medicines, supplies and training, and bicycles to enhance lives and help end extreme poverty in Africa.

“We are excited to partner with the USA Cycling Challenge and employ a our web and mobile technologies in an innovative virtual cycling competition that will benefit Millennium Promise’s charitable efforts in Africa,” said Robin J. Thurston, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of MapMyFITNESS.

“Millennium Promise is thrilled to be a part of this innovative partnership, which will tap the incredible energy of cycling enthusiasts around the world to support the pioneering efforts of health workers around rural Africa, and help us all get closer to ending extreme poverty in our lifetime,” said Millennium Promise CEO John W. McArthur.

Free registration for the Virtual Challenge opens today at MapMyRIDE.com/usapro.