Chambana Cranksgiving - November 13th 2011

Sponsors Sponsors Sponsors

2011-11-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

The event is just around the corner, and we have a ton of local suppost this year.

Sponsors include: Schnucks, Strawberry Fields, The Food Coop, Esquire, Bunnys, Farrens, Crane Alley, H20 Sallon, Corkscrew, Heartland Gallery, Beads and Botanicals, Das Cafe, The Great Impasta, Heel to Toe, Courier Cafe, Silvercreek, Noodles and Co, Bakers Bikes, Rentertainment, Columbia Street Roastery, the University YMCA, Heritage Wine Cellars, Lexco, Wald, Chrome, Eight Inch, and sponsors are still coming in!

Schnucks is in again

2011-10-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

Schnucks has donated a $50 gift card for a prize give away this year.

Chrome is In again.

2011-10-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

Chrome bags is in again as a sponsor!

They are sending us a bag to add to the prizes!

First Sponsors!

2011-10-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

First two outside sponsors have signed on! Urban Velo and Eighth Inch

Please check our 2011 Sponsors tab.

Cranksgiving 2011

2011-10-06T15:34:00.001-07:00

The date for the 4th annual Champaign-Urbana Cranksgiving has been set:
November 13th 2011

What - Cranksgiving is a food drive where food is collected by riding around Champaign/Urbana/Savoy and purchasing food at local grocery stores. Riders earn prizes by completing the ride is the fast time, with the most food. However, we usually have prizes for almost everyone.

Where - Meet at the Bike Project is Urbana (202 S. Braodway Avenue). Registration starts at 12 and the ride starts at 1.

Bring - Bring a bike, a bag to carry your collected food, a lock for when you are in the stores, and at least $5 or however much you would like to spend on food to donate.

Who - All food donated will go to the Eastern Illinois Food Bank.

Other - After the ride there will be an afterparty and other bike games. Admission to the party is participation in the ride or 4 items of donated non-perishable food. Riders in the past have brought in as much as 100lbs of food(with a bike trailer).

Please tell all you friends, the ultimate goal is to collect food for the hungry. This is our 4th year running and each year we have surpassed the previous amount of food collected. Last year we set the bar high and collected over 1900lbs of food. Lets try and beat that this year!

News from the Foodbank

2010-12-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

So, we just heard from Eastern Illinois Foodbank that the total weight Chambana Cranksgiving 2010 hauled in - 1,921 pounds - is the equivalent of 1,478 meals for local families. NICE WORK, EVERYONE! We can't wait to see what we can do next year.

See more information from the Foodbank about Chambana Cranksgiving here.

By the Numbers

2010-11-15T06:44:00.000-08:00

58 riders...1 TV interview...1 blown tube...1 self-destructing trailer...0 crashes...27 business sponsors...$2000 in donated prizes and after-party refreshments...

1921 pounds of food!

1 hugely successful Chambana Cranksgiving.

In three years, we have donated over 3400 pounds of food for Eastern Illinois Foodbank. Congratulations, everyone, (and particularly to Charlie Smyth, this year's grand prize winner of a Chrome jersey, Heel to Toe socks, and, of course, an Urban Velo beer cozy in the category of Most Generous Individual), for making Chambana Cranksgiving an annual event and a community institution. We're already looking forward to our fourth annual event but, in the meantime, check out the upcoming Parade of Lights, of which Champaign County Bikes is a part. Thank you to all of our cyclists, sponsors, donors, and volunteers for making this year's event a record one. See you next year!

A slideshow of pictures from this year's event can be found here.

Chambana Cranksgiving on TV!

2010-11-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

WCIA 3 covered Cranksgiving on their 5:30 and 10:00 news tonight. Check out the slot online and see if you can find yourself!

http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=193097

And check back here tomorrow to see how much food our third annual event raised....because we're pretty sure it was A LOT. Nice work, everyone - battling the wind AND hauling what is sure to be record amounts of food. Countless families in eastern Illinois appreciate the effort you made today in putting food on their tables this holiday season.

It's just around the corner

2010-11-12T09:26:00.001-08:00

I can't believe the amount of prizes we have to give away. We don't have a total value for everything yet but we easily have well over $1000 in prizes for our cyclists. I am blown away by our sponsors' generosity and am hopeful that everyone who comes out to participate will follow their lead and make this our most successful Cranksgiving yet.

So many prizes

2010-11-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

We just got a package from Twin Six and let me tell you that we have some absolutely awesome prizes up for grabs! Come out and participate and you'll walk away with some amazing prizes and a meal to boot.

FREE Bike Light for First 50 Riders

2010-11-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

A free bar-end bike light will be given to each of the first 50 registrants for Chambana Cranksgiving 2010! Lexco Bike, a regional bicycle parts distributor in Chicago, is on board this year and has generously sent us a box of lights, which we can't wait to pass on to our cyclists. Don't forget: there is no pre-registration; registration begins at 1 pm on Sunday afternoon, with the race and after-party to follow. So, come get your free light, ride a bike, and feed the hungry!

Chambana Cranksgiving on WEFT 90.1 FM

2010-11-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

Check it out! An interview about Cranksgiving aired on WEFT on Friday, November 5. The link to the podcast is here - our portion starts about 3/4 of the way through the show.

Many thanks to Joel Gillespie and Smile Politely for this opportunity!

Why we do this

2010-11-03T14:51:00.001-07:00

This article shows why we continue to run Cranksgiving

http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/hunger_in_the_heartland_pt._1/

Prizes for All

2010-11-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, the enthusiastic response to our third annual Chambana Cranksgiving from the business community has been overwhelming. From bike gear to nights out at local restaurants and grocery money, from gallery gift certificates to manicures and, yes, even a tarot reading, we've got you covered. So, come out for a few hours of riding and after-partying on the 14th, and go home with the pleasure of knowing you've helped out our community while being tangibly rewarded too.

2010-10-29T05:26:00.000-07:00

Billboards No More

2010-10-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Twin Six, the company behind the effort to make cyclists no longer look like billboards when out riding, is on board Chambana Cranksgiving 2010! We're eagerly awaiting a surprise box from them in the mail, which is sure to contain an awesome prize for a Cranksgiving cyclist. Check out their gear at twinsix.com and be sure to come out on November 14 for a chance to win their contribution.

Local Love

2010-10-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

We're feeling the local Chambana love today after hearing from two of our favorite downtown spots, Farren's and Esquire, who have donated gift certificates for Cranksgiving racers. Mmm...the Russell...Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad...Greek Pizza...

Maybe it's time for lunch.

Thank you, Farren's and Esquire!

Great Prize

2010-10-26T20:06:00.001-07:00

We just heard from Wald that they're again sending us some love this year - in the form of a front basket complete with a funky liner. They've been a great supporter of Chambana Cranksgiving, and we're thrilled to have them on board again. Check them out at waldsports.com, and be sure to ride Chambana Cranksgiving 2010 for a chance to win this sweet prize.

Lots of sponsors

2010-10-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hey, there are a lot of new sponsors listed over on the sponsors page! Go and check them out and maybe click on a few links. All of them have generously donated great prizes for our racers.

Stepping up our Game

2010-10-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

Wow! We are back again for a third year and super excited about making this the best year yet. Cranksgiving will be on November 14th starting and finishing at The Bike Project (Urbana location). An important part of that is a new sponsor... drum roll please....Chrome Messenger Bags. I am crazy excited that they have signed on as a sponsor this year. Send them some love by checking out their products and maybe buying a few things.

Here is the link to their website
http://www.chromebagsstore.com/

A New Record for the Second Annual Chambana Cranksgiving: 888 Pounds!

2009-11-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of our cyclists, sponsors, and donors who made Chambana Cranksgiving 2009 an unqualified success! Thirty-four cyclists came out to ride on what turned out to be a gorgeous day on Saturday; we saw lots of familiar faces from last year, and were thrilled to see some new ones join the bunch too.

When we first started to plan this year's Cranksgiving, we were a bit disheartened to hear the calculation from The Eastern Illinois Foodbank which estimates that local hungry families’ need for food has increased 30 percent from last year - because, as we all know, last year food banks across the country were already unable to keep up with increased demand. However, our cyclists, sponsors, and donors certainly stepped up to the challenge, and hauled 888 pounds of nonperishable food across the finish line - more than 30 percent above last year's total of 613 pounds, even though we did it this year with fewer riders (perhaps we should revert back to last year's practice of holding it on a Sunday?). That means we've raised just over 1500 pounds in two years! That's a lot of green beans...and oatmeal...and peanut butter...and tuna...and cranberry sauce...

In sum, we are very proud to be part of a community whose members are concerned with the wellbeing of their neighbors - and, moreover, who enthusiastically embrace a slightly unconventional means of addressing those neighbors' needs. We are also proud to be affiliated with the communities of other great cities like New York, Ann Arbor, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, Omaha, and Miami (and the list goes on) who also ran their own Cranksgiving events this year; we're eager to hear the results of those alleycat food drives too. We had a blast on Saturday, and greatly appreciate the response of our participants - and the sponsors whose contributions of prizes and after party munchies ensured that our cyclists didn't go home empty-handed or empty-stomached. We're already looking forward to our third annual Chambana Cranksgiving (mark your calendars for mid-November 2010!) and definitely hope to see you there. Thanks for a great event!

41 Cans of Corn on the Wall...

2009-11-13T13:22:00.001-08:00

Great news: we just received another donation of canned goods from a generous couple who will be unable to ride tomorrow but who still wanted to support Chambana Cranksgiving 2009. So...that means we have 41 cans of veggies to add to our stash for the Foodbank! Thank you so much.

We can't wait to see all of you tomorrow. With a high of 67 and no rain, it looks like tomorrow will be a great day for a ride.

Free Lunch

2009-11-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

Sandella's just joined Chambana Cranksgiving 2009 by donating coupons for free flatbread items: YUM. Check them out in person at 700 S. Gregory or online at:

Sandella's

Good Karma

2009-11-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

Although Cranksgiving is still a few days away, we already have a stack of cans, boxes, and bottles full of nonperishable food to be added to our total donation to Eastern Illinois Foodbank. Some kind and generous souls who will be unable to attend the actual event on Saturday still wanted to contribute, and they found a way to do so: we have about 45-50 pounds of food already from
these gracious donors. Last year, we raised a grand total of 613 pounds of food, and we're already on our way to exceeding that this year. Thank you for your support!

Mmmmm...Pitas

2009-11-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

The Pita Pit has very generously agreed to contribute a couple of gift cards to our stash of prizes for our top race finishers. Be sure to check them out on Green Street. Here's their menu:

Pita Pit

Three Days to Go...

2009-11-11T12:31:00.001-08:00

Hey, we just heard about ourselves on WPGU! Hopefully that plug will help bring all of last year's veterans back to Chambana Cranksgiving and entice some newcomers to ride a bike and feed the hungry this year, too. The weather's looking good and we're ready...

More Sponsors!

2009-11-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's getting close and more sponsors are coming on board every day. Providing awesome munchies and great prizes for our after party, our newest sponsors are:

Pekara Bakery

and

Noodles and Co.

Be sure to check them out in downtown Champaign and Campustown!

2009-11-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

Another New Sponsor

2009-10-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ok so I just got word that we have another sponsor for this year. We are glad to have Wald Sports back again this year as a sponsor and they stepped up and donated some sweet prizes. Check them out over at their website.

www.waldsports.com

A Checkpoint

2009-10-27T14:10:00.001-07:00

We just got word that Schnucks has signed on to sponsor our event again this year. They will once again show their support of Chambana Cranksgiving by donating some great prizes to be won at the after party...

Update on Sponsors

2009-10-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

So far we have gotten a few sponsors for this year - some who contributed to last year's success and some who are joining the fun for the first time. Of course, we are working hard to bring in even more. I would like to thank our sponsors and give them some props for being awesome. Currently lined up to give us some swag are:

El Duke Degreaser

Common Ground Food Co-op

Yanco Pads

Urban Velo

Burro Bags

That's Rentertainment

Strawberry Fields

Once again, thanks to our sponsors for your continued support. I'll keep updating the list as more donations come in.

It's that time of year again!

2009-10-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

We are running the second annual Chambana Cranksgiving on Saturday, November 14th at The Bike Project. We are working on getting sponsors and making this event even more successful than last year. Last year, in our first annual event, we had some pretty impressive numbers (41 riders and over 600 pounds of food donated to Eastern Illinois Foodbank). We want to beat those numbers this year, though - so, if you are reading this, please let your friends know and come out and support a good cause.

Thanks

Thanks to our sponsors!!

2008-11-26T18:39:00.000-08:00

I want to once again say thank you to our sponsors. Without the donations of our sponsors there is no way that this could have been half as successful as it was. I have linked to all of the sponsors in previous posts and I hope that all of you will check them out ( I know that I am jealous of so many of the awesome prizes that we gave out). So I am going to put up a few pictures that my wife and I took at the race so here goes...

Let the race begin...
Le Mans style start (yes that is a back to back recumbent tandem with a trailer attached)

Counting up points and collecting food...
The beginning of our food donations...
The food we collected (613 pounds)
First (right) and second (left) place

First out of town and skid winner
Footdown winner
World's First Flying Machine

So here are the results for the top 8 and the games winners and I will tally the rest later this weekend now that I have some free time.

1 - Stephanie Seiler
2 - Desiree Gualandri
3 - Josh Ritchey
4 - Fred Davidson
5 - Kyle French
5 - Lisa Hall
7 - Warren Montgomery
8 - Mike Pennington

Skid - Brent Levitt
Footdown - Stephen
Sprints - Andrew ??
Trackstand - Sean Laude

Thanks again to everyone who came out and thanks again to out generous sponsors

Yanco Pads
Granny Gear Cycling Caps
El Duke Degreaser
Wald Sports
Dirt Rag
Urban Velo
Specialty Imports

and most importantly the Bike Project of Urbana Champaign where the race started and the afterparty was held.

We Did It!

2008-11-17T06:39:00.000-08:00

Our first annual (hopefully) cranksgiving event is over now and I have to say that it was an overwhelming success! We managed to bring in 613 pounds of food that was donated this morning to the Eastern Illinois Foodbank. This far and away exceeded anything I could have expected

I want to say thanks to all of the people who helped bring this event together(Joel, Pieta, Brian, Sean, and Josh) and also to those who donated food or prizes. This event could not have happened without the 41 participants who showed up - the real thanks goes out to all of you!

We will be posting photos of the race and after party probably later this evening. Along with all of the winners.

Thanks Again,
Luke

Food for the afterparty

2008-11-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

Hey so we just found out that we are getting food donations from two different grocery stores, strawberry fields and county market on philo, for the afterparty.

So that will be a nice way to recharge after biking around town.

Cookies!!!

2008-11-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

Common Ground food co-op is going to make us some cookies for the afterparty!!

Check them out here:
http://www.commonground.coop/

Its coming soon

2008-11-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hey I hope that everyone is getting ready for Sunday. This event is going to happen rain or shine so come prepared. We are also going to have some events after the alleycat like trackstand, skid, and possibly even sprint comps.

And now onto other news. Schnucks has graciously donated some prizes as well so a big thanks to them. We would also like to give a big thanks to specialty imports for their donation of prizes as well.

Can't wait to see everyone on sunday

Reminder the registration starts at 12 and the race will start around 1
see you there

Our Flyer

2008-10-25T08:46:00.001-07:00

Click on the image above to get to the full size version

Help us spread the word

More Sponsors!!!

2008-10-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ok so we have a few more sponsors lined up and we would like to thank all of them profusely for helping us with this great cause! The three companies that agreed to sponsor this event are El Duke Degreaser, Granny Gear Cycling Caps, and Dirt Rag. All three of these companies are awesome and you should show them some love. Here are the links

El Duke Degreaser

Granny Gear Cycling Caps

Dirt Rag

After Party Info

2008-10-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

Ok so things are coming along and we are working out some more details for the after party that will happen at the IMC main space after the conclusion of the race. The best thing is that World's First Flying Machine will be playing at the after party!

check them out here:
http://www.myspace.com/worldsfirstflyingmachine

We'll keep you updated as to the specifics of the after party as they come available

Another new sponsor

2008-10-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Yanco Pads has agreed to send out some swag for the event.
Check them out here :
www.yancopads.com

More Sponsors

2008-10-08T06:53:00.000-07:00

Wald has agreed to send some swag for prizes too
check them out here

http://www.waldsports.com/

Moving Forward

2008-09-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

A few new things have been sorted out

- Start time will be 1PM with registration starting at 12 PM

- It looks like there will be an after party at the IMC main space with live bands

- We would like to say thanks to our first two sponsors: The Bike Project and Urban Velo

Check them out here:
The Bike Project
Urban Velo

Cranksgiving 08

2008-09-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

What: An alleycat/scavenger hunt that will result in food being donated to the local food bank
When: Sunday November 16th (time TBD)
Where: Meet at the Bike Co-Op in Urbana