I like to occasionally post items that highlight events that are fun, have a message, allow for companies to partner with organizations, have lasting effects, and help people get in shape. Here is one from India.

The full press release can be seen at http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bangaloreans-get-ready-to-pushpedalcycles-available-for-hire/371618/, with an excerpt provided below.

(Excerpt)

Bangaloreans Get Ready To Push The Pedal With Cycles Available For Hire

The BSA Hercules Cyclothon Bengaluru ’09, the upcoming mass mobilized cycling event in the country is set to flag off on October 11, 2009 with over 5,000 participants already registered. The event organizers today announced that there will be increased cycles available on hire in addition to the current 1500 cycles that are already being blocked by the early registrants to the event.

Participants wanting to hire cycles have the option to block one as a part of their registration process either online or by filling the registration forms available at various outlets in the city. Priority of the cycles for hire will be based on a first come-first serve basis with hire charges fixed at Rs.100/- each. As a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative post the event, these cycles for hire will then be donated to ex-servicemen, war widows and their children, and dependents at the Bangalore Madras Engineering Group (MEG) centre for easier commute within the vast centre premises with significant distances between the locations of each centre institutions.

The Cyclothon will be flagged off from the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) and will proceed along the NICE corridor and return to the BIEC while the kids’ races will be held off the corridor. The event aims to bring together all cyclists (and would be cyclists) from the age of 8 upwards thus creating environmental consciousness and negating the impact of global warming by reducing pollution.

As part of the charitable cause corporates are requested to come forward and purchase the bicycles in bulk at huge discounted rates and they could donate them to the services or even a charity that they may support.

“This event aims to create awareness and encourage people to adopt cycling as an accepted mode of commuting which benefits the environment as well as the upliftment of the society via the CSR initiative of donating the hired cycles used during the event”, said Mr. Satish Menon, CEO of Sport 18, co-organizers of the event.

(The release continues at http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bangaloreans-get-ready-to-pushpedalcycles-available-for-hire/371618/)