The New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault Ride Austin invites you to join their upcoming ride happening on June 24, 2012 at Fiesta Gardens Park Austin
We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Dan Coppola, Event Manager of New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault Ride to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.
Why join the New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault Ride?
The New Belgium Urban Assault Ride is the nation’s largest bicycle scavenger hunt and obstacle race. People of all ages and cycling ability levels join us for a day of fun obstacles, silly contests, and beautiful riding through the city, all followed up with an after party chock full of prizes and great beer.
How long has the event been around?
The Urban Assault Ride is entering its 10th year in Austin.
What was the motivation behind starting the tour and who benefits from it?
The Urban Assault Ride started as a way to celebrate and promote urban cycling and commuting. We like to show cyclists that they can get from point a to point b more enjoyably and sometimes faster on their bicycle. We work with local business’ to host obstacle checkpoints, and always partner with alocal non-profit group, who receives the proceeds from the beer sales as well as a donation from the event.
How have they been able to utilize the funds in the past?
We work with many non-profit groups across the country who receive donations from the event. They use these donations to sustain their operating budgets,build off road trails, install bicycle infrastructure.
Logistically, can you give us an idea how many volunteers, finances, and planning it takes to put on this event?
We don’t share financial information, but as far as planning and staff is concerned, it takes upwards of 100 volunteers and about a year to plan an Urban Assault Ride event.
What was the most rewarding experience throughout the years hosting this event?
I’ve had some amazing experiences and met some great people in the process. The most rewarding experience is when I get an email from a rider after the event, telling me that they had such a great time and learned how to get around town on their bike in the process. We love when we can promote cycling as a mode of transportation.
What is the average number of participants per year? How many riders do you assist during the average race?
We average between 1300 and 1500 riders for the Urban Assault Ride Austin. The vast majority of those riders make it back to the finish without any assistance, though we do assist with some minor mechanical issues and flat tires at each event.
What was the most unforgettable experience or worst accident you had in this event?
We’ve always got people showing up for the event who are new to cycling, andlast season we had a couple of riders who hadn’t been on bikes in over 10years, and thought they’d come out and do the event as a way to kick starttheir fitness plan. They weren’t sure they’d be able to make it to all of the checkpoints, but made it back to the finish line in 2 hours and 45minutes. They were so excited that they rode nearly 30 miles and completedall 7 obstacles.
What can folks do to support you and your mission?
The most important thing is to get out on their bike. I always try to encourage people to take their bike on at least one trip per week that they’d normally use their car for. Soon, that one trip becomes two, three, and before they know it, their car is collecting dust and their bike becomes their main mode of transportation. We partner with a lot of great local nonprofit groups that do great work, and I always encourage our racers to support them in any way they can, from making a cash donation to volunteering their time, or just talking about the work they do to other people.
What is your role in this race and to the success of it?
My title is Event Manager, which means I oversee the entire event series. We’ve got a small but very hard working full time team on this event, and there’s no way we could get this event done without all their hard work and organization.
Do you ride and if yes, what kind of bicycle do you ride and what is your favorite route in your area? Which are your top 3 favorite MUST DO rides in Texas (besides your own)?
Yep, I ride and I have too many bikes to list them all.
Additional stuff you would like the folks to know about this year?s ride?
We’re going into our 10th Anniversary and there’s a lot of exciting changes for the Urban Assault Ride this year, from the course to the prizes.
Thanks Dan for this quick interview and we hope to catch everyone at the ride!
Click here to view the event details of the New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault Ride Austin