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 Two cyclists plan their routes before the 2013 event in Santa Cruz, California | |
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Discipline | Alleycat |
| Type | Charity |
| Web site | cranksgiving |
| History | |
| First edition | 1999 |
Cranksgiving is an annual charity event where cyclists compete in an alleycat style race while purchasing food items at stops along the way. The event is scheduled near the American Thanksgiving holiday and the food is donated to local food pantries. The event was started in New York City in 1999 and has since spread to other cities in the United States as well as in other countries.
History
The first Cranksgiving event was November 20, 1999. New York City bicycle messenger Antonio Rodrigues came up with the idea of using an alleycat race as a charity event. A traditional alleycat is an unsanctioned race in which bicycle messengers compete against each other. In contrast, Cranksgiving has been described as "part bike ride, part food drive, part scavenger hunt".
By 2009, the event drew 118 participants in New York, with similar events happening in over a dozen other cities. That year, the New York event collected over $1000 worth of food which was donated to local food pantries. In 2015, New York had 300 participants who collected 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) of food, including a dozen turkeys and 600 jars of baby food.
In 2019, there were 112 events held in 42 states as well as in the United Kingdom and Canada. Over 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) of food was collected in Kansas City. In New York City, there were three distinct events held; Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx, with Citibike making free bikes available for the event. The Seattle event that year collected 2,223 pounds (1,008 kg) of food, while a separate event in West Seattle collected another 1,195 pounds (542 kg).
A 2020 event in State College, Pennsylvania, drew 89 participants who collected over 1,400 pounds (640 kg) of food worth nearly $2500.
Event format
Event sponsors are provided a basic set of requirements they must use, but there is no strict format. In general, cyclists are given a list of grocery stores they must visit, with specific routes to be determined by the riders. Riders are also given a shopping list from which they make purchases at each of the stores, and the goods donated to a local charity at the end of the event. While there is no entry fee, riders spend $15 to $20 to complete their purchases.
References
- ^ "Cranksgiving – History". Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- Moynihan, Colin (October 10, 2016). "In Race of Bike Messengers, Potholes and Bad Manners Can Be Costly". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- "Above & Beyond: Cranksgiving". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ Goodman, David J. (November 24, 2009). "City Room: An Outlaw Street Race, for a Good Cause". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- "Cranksgiving: How To Illegally Street Race And Give Back At The Same Time". HuffPost. March 18, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- Zaslow, Alexandra (November 24, 2016). "Bikers race to collect over 3,000 pounds of food for 'Cranksgiving'". TODAY.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- "Cranksgiving holds record 112 events this year". Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- "Cranksgiving – Brooklyn, NY". August 30, 2019. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- Fucoloro, Tom (November 28, 2019). "Watch: Cranksgiving riders biked a literal metric tonne of food to Rainier Valley Food Bank". Seattle Bike Blog. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- Collegian, Jeremiah Hassel (October 29, 2021). "State College's CentreBike to host 3rd annual Cranksgiving". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- Mancuso, Anne (November 15, 2012). "Spare Times: Recreation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.