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Best Cycling City (population 1 million or more):
<br /> 1. San Diego, CA;
<br /> 2. Chicago, IL
<br /> 3. New York, NY
<br /> Honorable mention: Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ
<br /> Best Cycling City (population 500,000 to 1 million):
<br /> 1. Portland, OR
<br /> 2. Denver, CO
<br /> 3. Seattle, WA
<br /> Honorable mention: San Francisco, CA; Austin, TX
<br /> Best Cycling City (population 200,000 to 500,000):
<br /> 1. Madison, WI
<br /> 2. Tucson, AZ
<br /> 3. Albuquerque, NM
<br /> Honorable mention: Minneapolis, MN; Anchorage, AK
<br /> Best Cycling City (population 75,000 to 200,000)
<br /> 1. Boulder, CO
<br /> 2. Eugene, OR
<br /> 3. Ann Arbor, MI
<br /> Honorable mention: Chattanooga, TN; Cambridge, MA
<br /> Best Small Town for Cycling: Davis, CA (population 60,308)
<br /> To determine its list of the top 21 U.S. cycling cities, Bicycling
<br /> started with a list of more than 250 cities and determined the
<br /> winners and finalists using criteria that weighed factors such as:
<br /> "Cycling-friendly" statistics (numbers of bike lanes and
<br /> routes, number of bike racks, city bike projects completed and
<br /> planned)
<br /> Bike culture (number of bike commuters, popular clubs, cool
<br /> cycling events, renowned bike shops)
<br /> Climate/geography (the quality of roads and trails for riding,
<br /> and how frequently mother nature lets riders enjoy them)
<br /> Bicycling also surveyed experts at national bicycle groups such as the League of American Bicyclists, the Thunderhead
<br /> Alliance and the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), while also polling more than 600 Bicycling readers.
<br /> "Rankings such as ours often provoke a lot of debate, which is understandable and, actually, welcome," said Madden.
<br /> "Because the riding conditions and levels of cycling enthusiasm in these cities are so outstanding, they all deserve to gain
<br /> some recognition as America's biking treasures.
<br /> "But the selection of Portland as the country's best city for cycling turned out to be maybe the easiest part of this process
<br /> for us. It's been the top U.S. city in each of our previous three rankings (2001, 1999 and 1995), and cycling has only
<br /> continued to improve there. The number of cyclists has tripled over the past ten years, city traffic congestion is down
<br /> because of it, and it's the only urban area that's been able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the past four years
<br /> (which they've done significantly) while national levels have risen 17%."
<br /> Portland and nearby Eugene give Oregon two entries on the Best Cycling Cities list, a number matched by Arizona
<br /> (Phoenix and Tucson) and Colorado (Boulder and Denver). California had three cities (San Diego, Davis and San
<br /> Francisco) represented on the list, the most of any state.
<br /> About Bicycling:
<br /> As the world's biggest bike magazine, Rodale, Inc.'s Bicycling is the voice of cycling, providing the stories on the
<br /> personalities, trends, and techniques behind the sport. Appealing to readers of every ability and interest level, the
<br /> magazine features expert reviews of the latest equipment as well as training and fitness tips. Published 11 times a year,
<br /> Bicycling is the magazine for the athlete for whom the bicycle is the centerpiece of an active lifestyle.
<br /> Contacts
<br /> Rodale, Inc.
<br /> Chris Brienza, 212-808-1358
<br />
<br /> Chris.Brienza(a.Rodale.com
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