Tempe announces 2024 Bike Hero Award winners

The City of Tempe has announced the 2024 winners of its Tempe Bike Hero Award, honoring organizations making biking better in Tempe.

This year, Tempe will recognize not one, but two outstanding champions of cycling in the community: the McClintock High School Bike Club and the Broadmor Bike Bus, according to a release from the Tempe Bicycle Action Group.

These two pedal-powered dynamos are making a massive impact on Tempe's cycling scene helping every student thrive on a bike, the release stated. City council will present these awards at the next council meeting on June 27 at 6 p.m. at Tempe City Hall.

"The impact of the Broadmor Elementary Bike Bus and the McClintock High School Bike Club on our community is immeasurable,” Tempe City Councilmember Berdetta Hodge stated in the release. “They are fostering a culture of safety, fitness, and sustainability that will benefit Tempe for generations."

The Broadmor Bike Bus and the McClintock High School Bike Club are not just changing the way Tempe residents commute; they're changing the way they live.

Broadmor Bike Bus: Rolling to Success

The Broadmor Bike Bus is taking the idea of a school commute to a whole new gear.

Picture this: a group of children biking to school together, led by an adult "bus driver" on a bike. It's a moving classroom of fun, fitness and friendship. Parents and kids join the convoy as it rolls by, turning the trek to school into a mini biking festival, the release explained

The Broadmor Bike Bus is one of the 2024 winners of the Tempe Bike Hero Award.

"Seeing the joy and confidence on the kids' faces as they ride to school is absolutely priceless,” Kendra Flory, co-founder of Bike Bus, stated. “The bike bus not only teaches them bike safety and road awareness but also gives them a sense of independence and a love for cycling that will last a lifetime."

Hannah Moulton Belec, the other visionary behind Bike Bus, added in the release, "Our hope is that kids will be confident and safe biking to school on their own or with parents, especially on high-use routes like College Avenue. We also hope that other schools will want to create their own bike-to-school initiatives, and we’re here to help if they do.”

McClintock High School Bike Club: Pedaling to Empowerment

The McClintock High School Bike Club has quickly become a cornerstone of bicycling in Tempe.

Every Friday, this club transforms into a hub of activity, where students engage in bike maintenance, safety workshops and community service projects repairing bikes for refugees with the Welcome to America Project, the release explained. Their work is not just about bikes; it's about building a community by learning hands-on practical skills.

Ethan Burns, co-president of Bike Club, shared in the release, "Being part of the Bike Club has been awesome. Learning how to fix bikes and understanding how they work has helped me a lot with problem-solving, which is great for my schoolwork. It's so cool to build bikes for those in need and even fix my friends' bikes."

For more, visit www.mhsbikeclub.org .