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A local nonprofit organization is hoping Newport News can pedal to victory in an international bicycling competition.
Sister Cities of Newport News joined the competition at the request of its sister city in Germany, Greifswald, located in the northeastern part of the country, not far from the Polish border. It is the first organization in the United States to join the City Cycling competition, hosted by a European agency working to combat climate change.
Sister City relationships are used as an opportunity for municipalities to share cultures and promote peace.
Anyone — regardless of skill level — who lives, works, belongs to a bicycling club or attends school in Newport News can participate. Teams of at least two cyclists compete over a 21-day period to cover as many kilometers as possible. Individuals who want to participate but don’t have a partner can join the city’s open team.
The participants log all of their miles using a smartphone app and the city with the most during a three-week stretch is the winner.
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Newport News participated in the competition for the first time last year as a way to connect with Greifswald during the pandemic.
In last year’s competition, Newport News logged 28,778 kilometers — approximately 17,881 miles — falling far short of Greifswald’s 326,266 kilometers, approximately 202,732 miles.
The point of the competition is to promote bicycling and raise awareness for climate change while having fun, according to the host organization Climate Alliance. The website for the event tracks distances as well as the carbon dioxide emissions that were avoided by bicycling instead of riding in a car.
Sister Cities of Newport News will kick off the competition from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at Tradition Brewing in Oyster Point.
Participation in the competition is free, and it will run from May 1-21. Distances will be tracked using the City Cycling app www.city-cycling.org/app.
To register to participate visit www.sistercities-nn.com/citycycling or call 757-697-3129 with questions.
Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com