A large crowd of bike race enthusiasts was on hand last night to witness the 2010 Boulder 6, a fast-paced and action-packed evening of racing in the theme of a traditional European Six-Day.

The event was hosted by Boulder Indoor Cycling, the only Velodrome/Mountain Biking facility in the world.

The annual Boulder 6 is designed to generate interest and financial support for the Velodrome, a 138-meter indoor track that serves recreational cyclists of all skill levels.

Hottman displays his silent auction prize.

Part of the night’s festivities was a silent auction featuring accessories and services aimed at bike race aficionados.  Among the winning bids was that of Donavon Hottman, who came all the way from Shawnee, KS to show his support for the Velodrome.  Hottman’s winning bid earned him a shinny red Strider PREBike, which he plans to gift to a neighbor’s child.

Boulder Indoor Cycling will also host the 2010 Boulder Tikeapalooza next Sunday, September 5th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  On-site registration opens at 10 a.m.*

The event, sponsored by Strider Sports International, is free to toddlers and their families.  Tikeapalooa is an afternoon of fun and family recreation benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon.

Registration for Tikeapoolza remains open and all Boulder-Denver area Strider PREBike™ families are welcome!  For more information call 303-390-1644.

* Boulder Indoor Cycling is an easy drive from Denver, Ft. Collins, Greeley, Broomfield, Westminister and surrounding areas.  It is located at 3550 Frontier Avenue in Boulder, near the intersection of Pearl Street and Frontier.

Some of the nation's top racers competed

Speed and agility are vital to success

Some of the best track bike racers in the world will be on hand this Saturday night to participate in a fast-paced, action-packed night of racing at Boulder Indoor Cycling in Boulder, Colorado.

Boulder Indoor Cycling (BIC) boasts one of only two indoor Velodromes in the United States.  BIC is also the home of CycleTykes, an enormously popular childhood enrichment program that features Strider PREBikes™ and draws kids ages 2 through 7.

Bike racing aficionados will join together on Saturday for the 2010 Boulder 6, a party and professional exhibition race aimed at raising the awareness and use of the BIC Velodrome.  Tickets are still available by phoning 303-292-5464.

Among well-known racers invited to participate are Ryan Sabga, Ryan Luttrell, Clark Sheehan, Keith Harper, Dale Stetina, Alan McCormick, Colby Pearce and Chuck Coyle.  The premier event of the night will be the Madison.  Other planned races include Match Sprint, Team Pursuit and Points Races.

In addition to its Velodrome, Boulder Indoor Cycling offers 18,000 square feet of indoor mountain biking trails.  Elements of the circuit include single track riding, balance apparatuses, wooden bridges and a variety of other skill training.

For families of children and toddlers, Boulder Indoor Cycling will also host the 2010 Boulder Tikeapalooza to be held on Sunday, September 5th.  Strider Sports is proud to be the lead sponsor of Tikeapalooza, an afternoon of fun and family recreation benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  Kids will be able to bike free at Boulder Indoor Cycling and simultaneously help support ‘Jerry’s Kids.’  Light snacks and drinks will also be provided.

The Leadville 100 is the nation’s highest-altitude endurance bike race, covering 100 miles of grueling roadway at elevations ranging from 9,000 to 12,500 feet.

In this year’s competition, Levi Leipheimer, a teammate of defending champ Lance Armstrong, completed the course in 6 hours and 28 minutes, nearly 17 minutes faster than Armstrong’s 2009 winning time.

“It’s hard to describe the pain and torture that you go through on a ride like that,” Leipheimer told the Associated Press on Saturday.  “It’s like a six-hour time trial.”

But while Leipheimer and 1,320 other cyclists were grunting it out in and around Leadville, one of Colorado’s historic mountain mining communities, dozens of their children and the kids of race onlookers were conducting their own imaginary Leadville 100 on colorful Strider PREBikes™, which were part of the race’s accompanying Rocky Mountain Bicycle Festival.

Located alongside the starting and finishing race roadway, the Rocky Mountain Bicycle Festival attracted thousands of bicycle fanatics who filled the hours Saturday browsing many of the latest, most prized custom bicycles and accessories.

Meanwhile, thanks to a Colorado Strider dealer, toddlers rode their PREBikes along a grass and dirt course as their proud parents and friends cheered them on.

Leipheimer, who like Armstrong is part of Team RadioShack, was followed to the finish line by Jeremy Horgan-Kobelsi of Boulder, Colorado; Todd Wells of Morgan Hill, California; David Wiens of Gunnison, Colorado; and Jeremiah Bishop of Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Congratulations to the three winners of the MOPS and Strider PREBikes for Toddlers™ Facebook Sweepstakes, which was held last week during the MOPS International Convention 2010 in Orlando.

Each winner will receive a Strider PREBike in her choice of color, shipped to her home for free.

The three lucky moms are:

• Day One:  Jennifer Cook – Saint Charles, MO
• Day Two:  Jodi Jordan – Sammamish, WA
• Day Three:  Tiffany Christian – Boone, NC

For her Day Three winning entry, Tiffany wrote us:

“My son, Raylen, was diagnosed with autism … and at age 4, he still struggles with balance and coordination.  Most times he needs special accommodations for simple tasks. The Strider’s bike would allow him to go “bike riding” with his twin sister and two older siblings. It would be such a blessing for him to be “just like other kids” if even for just a few minutes.”

Indeed, Tiffany, Strider PREBikes have given confidence and independence to many thousands of special-needs children who can’t yet master regular two-wheelers and we have every belief that Raylen will soon be cruising along with all of his siblings.

Thanks to all the MOPS members who entered our contest.

A Strider PREBike in front of the Lichter Exhibition Hall, which features "World-Class Motorcycles as Art"

Sturgis, SD — Strider PREBikes for Toddlers™ are in the spotlight this week as part of the 70^th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally which draws more than 650,000 enthusiasts from around the world.

Strider’s star turn came on behalf of the Children’s Home Society of South Dakota, which specializes in providing a home, school and therapy for children in need.  Most of the CHS kids are victims of severe abuse and/or neglect.

In support of CHS, Strider Sports International donated one PREBike to each of 17 silent auction fundraising packages as part of the Sturgis Kids & Chrome Foundation 2010 celebrity fundraiser held at the Legendary Buffalo Chip.

Strider PREBikes were also used to help decorate the exterior of the famed Lichter Exhibition Hall, which features world-class motorcycles as art.

Celebrities and dignitaries participating in this year’s Kids & Chrome gala included Rod Woodruff, owner of the Buffalo Chip and a SPEED TV regular; Jim Burgess, a co-owner of Black Hills Harley-Davidson and Sturgis Harley-Davidson; Ted Sands and Mark Finnie of Performance Machines; Brian and Laura Klock of Klock Werks Kustom Cycles; and Mike Tomas, founder of Kiwi Indian Motorcycle Company, and his wife, Carolyn.  (Tomas is one of six honorees to be inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame this week.)

Entertainment figures participating in the event included film and television star Lorenzo Lamas, founder of Lorenzo Cycles; and Rupert Boneham, Survivor All Star winner and founder of Rupert’s Kids.

A crew of five volunteers from Strider Sports was on hand to help build displays for the Kids & Chrome fundraiser, hang banners, field media interviews and encourage bidding on the silent auction items.

As celebrities and guests mingled under the outdoor tent on the grounds of the Buffalo Chip, many of them bid on the silent auction packages featuring Strider PREbikes, including the Marilyn Monroe Package, the Harley-Davidson Package and the Girls Going Wild Package.

Ryan McFarland, Strider Sports founder and chief enthusiast, noted the obvious fit between the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and Strider PREBikes.  “What do so many of our toddler bikers dream of as they master the balance and coordination necessary for biking?” McFarland asks.  “They dream of one day riding alongside their motorcycling moms and dads.”

Strider Sports, headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota, is the world’s preeminent maker of quality running bikes specifically engineered for the shorter leg-lengths and less-developed muscle power of toddlers.

Children who start off on a Strider PREBike routinely advance to a regular, unaided two-wheeler at least 18-months to two years earlier than kids using tricycles or training wheels.

Sturdy Strider PREBikes weigh less than 7 pounds and feature tires that never go flat.  They are available directly from Strider Sports as well as via a global network of dealers, online retailers and bike shops.

Since its inaugural event in 2005, Kids & Chrome has donated more than $500,000 to benefit the lives of special needs children.  The foundation also works to preserve the history of motorcycling (hence the “Chrome”) by supporting the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to Jodi Jordan and her 2-year-old son for being the DAY TWO winners in the MOPS and Strider PREBikes for Toddlers™ Facebook Sweepstakes. Jodi will receive a brand new PREBike in her choice of color, shipped to her home for free.

MOPS and Strider are giving away a PREBike a day online during the MOPS International Convention 2010, August 5-7th. Winners need not be in Orlando!

To be eligible for today’s (8/7/10) final contest, email us before midnight (EDT) a short (75-word maximum) note telling us why your special toddler is “perfect” for the Strider PREBike™. We also encourage you to enclose a digital photo your child if one is available. Email us at: dean@stridersports.com.

All previous entries remain eligible for today’s sweepstakes.

For her winning entry, Jodi wrote us:

“My son (age 2) is very timid. At the park, he rolls balls down the slide (too afraid to go down) and sits on the baby swing (without actually swinging). We’ve tried both a tricycle and a bike with training wheels but both tip over and are difficult to manage. He gets frustrated and nervous and prefers to just push the bikes. I think the Strider would be perfect and would help him build confidence.”

Jodi got it right. Strider PREBikes™ are great confidence builders for even timid toddlers – not to mention so much fun!

Here’s a gallery of some of the activity at our booth at the MOPS Convention:

[Show as slideshow]