BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — A tax plan released by the Senate majority leadership this week does away with a program that allows employers to reimburse workers, tax free, up to $20 per month for expenses related to bike commuting. The benefit has been in place since 2009 and it is continued in the House tax plan. 

The League of American Bicyclists has urged its members to protest the Senate's plan. The LAB notes that the Senate bill retains benefits that support commute by driving or using public transportation. The League also has a page with details about the benefit on its website.

PeopleForBikes on Tuesday criticized the move by the Senate.

"The cost of the federal bike commuter benefit is paid primarily by employers, and its tax-free provision costs the federal government only $5 million per year," said PeopleForBikes' president, Tim Blumenthal. "The benefits to both individuals and communities far exceed the cost. This modest reimbursement program has helped bike commuting grow by more than 50 percent nationwide during the last decade — easing road congestion, promoting good health, and supporting a crucial, economical mode of transportation for hardworking, low-income Americans.

"As Congress continues to debate tax reform, we hope this provision is dropped from the final package to reflect the current House version."

In a statement released by PeopleForBikes, Pat Cunnane, the CEO of Advanced Sports Enterprises, Inc., said, "The $20-per-month tax-free benefit encourages more people to ride their bikes to work and offers employers like us a simple, health-focused incentive to give our employees."

MADISON, Wis. (BRAIN) — Schwinn, a brand of Dorel Industries, has released a limited 1,400-unit production run of its Grey Ghost Sting-Ray. The bikes will be available only at Dick's Sporting Goods stores and on the retailer's website, for $399.

The Grey Ghost was originally sold in 1971.

"The Schwinn Grey Ghost embodies the joy of the ride and its classic design makes it one of the most recognizable bikes in our history," said Milissa Rick, the senior director of marketing at Schwinn. "We're thrilled to be able to share the nostalgia of this incredible bike with a new generation of riders, just in time for the holidays."

The replica features a spring suspension fork, 16-inch front wheel and a 20-inch wheel with buffed rear slick tire. The bike includes a striped banana seat, fenders and a coaster brake.

"The Grey Ghost is one of the rarest of the Schwinn Sting-Ray bikes. We wanted to give fans another opportunity to get one of their own, and maybe pass it on to their kids," said Josh Vick, the director of Schwinn product development. "It's not just the history that makes them stand out though — riding them is pure joy. It makes you feel like a kid again."

The bikes include an certificate of authenticity with the specific unit number in the collection, a sticker on the bike with the same corresponding number and a collector color lithograph box.

Schwinn is a brand of Pacific Cycle, a division of Dorel Industries' Dorel Sports segment, which also includes Mongoose, IronHorse, Pacific, InSTEP, Dyno, Playsafe, KidTrax. 

SAN FRANCISCO (BRAIN) — TSG Consumer Partners has acquired a minority share in the nutrition brand Nuun and Company.

Seattle-based Nuun was founded 13 years ago and is known best for its low-sugar electrolyte tablets. 

TSG is an investment firm with approximately $5 billion of assets under management, focused exclusively on the branded consumer sector. Its past and current investments are in companies including Duckhorn Wine Company, vitaminwater, thinkThin, popchips, Muscle Milk, Yard House, Stumptown, Pabst, Planet Fitness, REVOLVE, Backcountry, Smashbox Cosmetics, Pureology, Sexy Hair, e.l.f. Cosmetics and IT Cosmetics. 

Kevin Rutherford, Nuun's CEO, said, "We are thrilled to work with a high-caliber partner like TSG, which shares our vision and can leverage its deep experience in health and wellness to support our next stage of growth. The Nuun team is excited to build on our success as a brand delivering hydration that inspires people to move more, and further enhance the lives of millions of consumers who increasingly seek healthy fitness solutions. With TSG's support, we will be even better equipped to expand our mission and message across the globe."

Michael Layman, the managing director at TSG, said, "We are very excited to partner with the Nuun management team and proud to support a company whose powerful mission and culture were recognized by Outside Magazine, which named Nuun to its 2017 '100 best places to work' list. We have been impressed by Nuun's momentum since its inception and its commitment to clean-ingredient, low-sugar products. We look forward to helping the company educate the public on healthy hydration and wellness, grow into additional customer segments and expand its innovative electrolyte, vitamin and performance offerings beyond Nuun's competitive athlete core customer."

PERTH, Australia (BRAIN) — Cycliq has made two additions to its line of integrated bike camera and light devices: the front-facing Fly12 CE (Connected Edition) and rear-facing Fly6 CE. The new models, available Nov. 30, are smaller and lighter than previous models, and offer wireless connectivity features via ANT+ and Bluetooth.

The units can be connected to a Garmin head unit with ANT+, allowing the rider to adjust functions through the Garmin. With Bluetooth, the lights can be controlled with a smart phone app.

The Fly 12 CE is 3.1 ounces lighter than its previous version, while the Fly 6 CE is 0.9 ounces lighter. The cameras have a new 135-degree lens, a step up from the current Fly6 100-degree lens. 

The cameras offer HD looping video with audio and automatic incident footage preservation. Both models record 1080p HD video at 60 frames per second. The new models have a 6-axis stabilization feature for improve footage stability.

In addition to the new Fly devices, Cycliq has broadened its accessories range with multiple mounting solutions for all cyclists, including the Duo Mount and Telescopic Mount. They are also equipped with a built-in bike alarm, which flashes and automatically starts recording any incident, while alerting the user's smartphone via the app if the bike has been moved or tampered with.

Chris Singleton, executive chairman of Cycliq, said: "The success of the current models showed us the demand for an integrated bike camera and light product, and with customer feedback and evolving consumer tech standards, it was the natural progression to develop these new CE versions. Both products are feature-rich; perfect for commuters and road cyclists during both day and night, and for action-seekers after the perfect video from their ride."

KENT, Wash. (BRAIN) — Accell Group said it has adjusted its North American operations — including replacing its senior management — due to declining sales through traditional channels and the unexpected contract termination by a multisport retailer. Besides the management layoffs, the company said North American operations will be "integrated." 

The Dutch conglomerate said North American online sales and sales of e-bikes are "growing fast."

Ton Anbeek, the chairman of the Accell's board of directors, said, "During the past year, a lot of hard and goal-oriented work has gone into the execution of our new strategy in North America and Europe. In the years to come, we expect to show a clear trend reversal of our group performance in terms of turnover, results and working capital. In North America we see sound opportunities for omnichannel, while the evolution of the e-bike segment is running a few years behind the e-bike segment in Europe.

"As such, the region offers us clear potential for future growth."

In a press release Thursday, the company said it expects global sales to be up in the second half of the year. But it said profits will be affected by the North American sales decline. It said the North American restructuring and inventory scale down will cost about 5 million euros. The company said it does not expect to complete the reduction in inventories in North America this year, which will have a negative effect on working capital at year-end.

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BRAIN) — Lewis & Clark Outfitters, a two-store outdoor chain that's offered Giant bikes since 2001, has expanded and remodeled its Springdale location with the help of Giant and Liv.

"Lewis & Clark has been partnered with Giant since 2001, and it has been a great relationship for both parties," said Giant account executive Bill Nicholson. "The business has done a lot of work with local city organizations to promote usage of the trail networks in the area. They have helped build Northwest Arkansas into the great cycling destination it is today."

Lewis & Clark has been particularly active in promoting women's cycling in its community, and for the past few years has been one of the top retailers of the women's Liv brand.

"While we still have room to improve, we have worked hard to make our shops friendlier to women customers, employ more women in our shops, and have women's-only clinics and rides in order to eliminate as many barriers as possible," said Lewis & Clark co-owner Rob Potts. "And many of our local leaders have also worked very hard to make our area friendlier to all cyclists, which obviously encourages more women to ride bikes."

"We are really excited about the new store," Potts said. "Everyone has worked hard to make this come together and it really does accomplish our goals of having a better merchandised, more customer-friendly and accessible store for riders of all levels. The Giant and Liv fixtures, along with the professional help from the retail services and sales team at Giant, have really brought the shop up to a whole new level. We may be biased, but we think it's now the best bike shop in Arkansas."

Lewis & Clark recently held a two-day grand opening event that included demos of Giant and Liv bikes, a mountain bike trials performance by Giant ambassador Jeff Lenosky, and a raffle for merchandise including the Giant Talon 3 and Liv Tempt 3 mountain bikes. A large crowd turned out to tour the expanded store, which added 3,000 square feet of floor space. The bike shop area now covers more than 7,000 square feet.

Liv marketing manager Jen Audia attended the grand opening, and checked out the Northwest Arkansas cycling community firsthand. "If this area of Arkansas isn't on your bike radar, it should be," Audia said. "It's incredible to witness the great expansion of greenways and mountain bike trails here, and a retailer like Lewis & Clark that's there to support the experience.

SALEM, Mass. (BRAIN) — Vittoria Industries North America has hired Nora Goldman and Momentum Sales to represent the distributor in the mid-Atlantic region. This territory covers Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Delaware. Goldman and Momentum will represent that the full line of VINA brands, including Vittoria tires and wheels, 3T, Selle Italia, Rhinomed, Catlike, and Opus Bikes.

"In today's competitive marketplace, I think it's more important than ever for dealers to have a smart selection of options," said Goldman. "The top-quality, well-known brands offered by VINA give dealers confidence by improving the consumer riding experience, while earning excellent margins."

Goldman added, "I've always loved Vittoria tires, and like almost everyone, my 'go-to' tire to sell and ride was the classic Corsa CX. I recently rode the Corsa G+ and it offers an even more superior riding experience. I'm really excited to share the rest of the line with my dealers, and continue to broaden the Vittoria brand across City and MTB segments."

VINA's national sales manager, Jason Croom, said, "Nora has a high level of authenticity in her work. Vittoria products have proved themselves through her own experiences, both with dealers, and in the field. In fact, it's worth noting that she approached VINA, as a fan of the product, which speaks volumes."

Goldman can be reached at Nora.MomentumSales@Gmail.com or direct at 843-743-6090.

VENTURA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Zeitbike has added a new category of products: Zeitbooks. The distributor is now carrying some classic cycling-related books, including "The Rules" by the Velominati, "World of Mountain Biking" by Hans Rey, and "The Brooks Compendium of Cycling Culture" by Brooks England.

"Zeitbooks is a category that hasn't been touched by any other distributor in North America yet," said Fritz Bohl, the founder of Zeitbike. "When thinking about all our really cool customers, who run coffee- or beer-serving bicycle shops, we can give them another really unique value to engage conversations with consumers, entice them to buy a new bicycle or part, and of course, offer them an impulse gift item during the holiday seasons."

Shipping for all Zeitbooks will be free with a combined Zeitbike order of over $99. Book orders also generate Zeitbike reward points as a post-order rebate.

More information at zeitbike.com or 1-877-612-2212.

NEW YORK (BRAIN) — Taking inspiration from Record Store Day, which is held every year in April to celebrate the independent record store, Brooklyn retailer Joe Nocella will hold the first annual Bike Shop Day at his shop, 718 Cyclery, on Dec. 9.

"It's an open-sourced idea, it's about our industry and local shops. Bike Shop Day is about getting people in the door," said Nocella, who opened 718 Cyclery in 2008. "It's a low cost, great opportunity to have a sale, do a product release and have some exclusive stuff. It's another way of doing something the internet can't do because there is no substitute for community and events."

In addition to having a sale that day, the shop will also put on a raffle, host a pancake breakfast, hold a Catrike demo and have free swag bags for all attendees. In addition, the event will double as a launch party for Cleary Bikes, a kids' bike line 718 recently began carrying. The shop will also host an after-hours store holiday party.

Several brands have stepped up to support Nocella's efforts, including Kona, QBP, Niner, Metrofiets, Yuba, Kali, Surly, Inside Line Equipment, Arkel bike bags and Downeast Bicycle Specialists. Yuba and Surly have donated bikes, Kali is providing 10 helmets and other companies have sent 718 a variety of T-shirts, can koozies and other merchandise for the raffle and swag bags.

"Kali and QBP also asked if they could help promote it and customers have told us they'll be waiting outside at 9 a.m. for us to open. Some of our reps might show up, too," Nocella said.

"This isn't a proprietary event and I'd love to see other shops do their own events on Bike Shop Day. We're just starting it, we don't own it. If we all pool our resources and have something to talk about, I think it would be great," he added.

Nocella also said that next year he'll spend more time planning Bike Shop Day in advance in order to spread the word and get more retailers on board. He's already purchased the URL bikeshopday.com, which he isn't using for the inaugural event but plans to build the site to promote Bike Shop Day in 2018.

Visit 718c.com/bikeshopday to learn more about the event.

MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BRAIN) — WTB is donating $15 to the American Red Cross from each sale of a limited edition saddle. The donations are meant to support vicitims of the Northern California wilfdires. 

The American Red Cross currently has 1,100 disaster relief responders in California, where they are providing food, shelter, comfort and health services to thousands of people who have been affected by the fires.

"WTB is thankful and happy to be able to support such a meaningful and necessary cause," the company said.

The limited edition saddle carries all features of the Volt Team 142 mm saddle, with titanium rails and DNA padding, and retails for $129.95.

More information: wtb.com/products/usa-volt.

REDLANDS, Calif. (BRAIN) — Five Ten has reached a new Canadian distribution agreement with Live to Play Sports. Starting Jan. 1, 2018, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia-based Live to Play will have exclusive distribution of all Five Ten bike and climbing products in Canada.

"We are delighted to be partnering with Live To Play to strengthen Five Ten distribution in the Canadian territory," said Stuart Wells, global brand marketing director for Adidas Outdoor and Five Ten. "The Five Ten brand is on a roll and Live to Play has the kind of pedigree that we look to capitalize on the success to date."

In Canada, Five Ten has significant market share in bike, outdoor and climbing, including the Canadian bike park scene, Five Ten stated.

Martin Tammik, vice president of Live to Play's aftermarket division, said, "Live to Play Sports is thrilled to be adding Five Ten to our portfolio of distributed brands. Five Ten is legendary in the outdoor footwear market delivering class-leading mountain bike and climbing shoes. We look forward to bringing our national strength in distribution and customer service to this iconic brand."

TREVISO, Italy (BRAIN) — Pinarello has released its first electric road bike, the Nytro.

"Nytro aims at a wide target, from the one that has no time to train but would never miss a weekend ride with friends, to women who would like to follow easily the men's pace, or even the ones who desire to experience cycling as a new way of life, climbing easily and going downhill safely, enjoying every single minute on the bike," the company said.

The company said its goal was to make an e-bike that weighed less than 15 kg (33 pounds) but eventually developed a bike weighing 13 kg (28.6 pounds), or 9 kg without batteries.

The frame is made with T700 High End Carbon Fiber with the same frame angles as other Pinarello road bikes and a wheelbase that is 1 percent longer and a headtube 1 cm taller.

The bike has disc brakes with 160 mm rotors and 12 mm thru axles.

The bike has an Evation by Fazua drive system that provides assistance until the bike is traveling 25 Km/h, with a maximum nominal power of 250 watts. A handlebar control has three buttons and a LED display bar, that controls the riding functions and reads riding data.

The system has a bottom bracket with a double-side torque measurement and integrated cadence sensors to allow the system to adapt real time the amount of power provided to the chain. "The result is a pedal assistance really effective but not invasive," the company said.

The system has five riding modes:

• No Support — 0W (White): The motor support is switched off and functions as a normal road bike.
• Breeze — up to 125W (Green): Efficient support to maximize the battery range.
• River — up to 250W (Blue): Strong support suitable for most of scenarios.
• Rocket — up to 400W (Pink): Maximum support for the most demanding climbs
• Walk assistance: Helps to carry the bike to a maximum speed of 6 Km/h.

The Nytro is offered in five sizes. It will first be available in Europe, including the UK and Switzerland. It will retail for about 6,000 euros ($7,050) depending on component and wheel choice.

RIMSTING, Germany (BRAIN) — Maloja, a German mountain sports apparel brand, is increasing its sales presence in North America and will display at this winter's Outdoor Retailer Winter + Snow Show in Denver as it eyes expansion in North America.

Maloja offers clothing for skiing, climbing, mountain biking and other sports.

"As we look to the future of the brand, we see North America as a large opportunity in our overall global objectives," said Landon Stirling, the president of Maloja North America. "We are continuing to grow our retail presence and provide top quality service to our customers through our dedicated and passionate sales force."

"Our story coupled with fresh, high quality product collections, designed in Bavaria and with a focus on EU production, provide our retail partners with a truly unique opportunity," said Stirling. "Our sales efforts will focus on selling-in to key customers, while our marketing efforts will increase to support our customers sell through of Maloja."

Maloja has warehouses in California and British Columbia. 

The brand's full team of North America sales representatives includes:

• Upper Hollow Partners located in Stowe Vermont, which covers New England and the Mid Atlantic
• Adrienne Schneider of Alpine Sports Marketing and Sales, who covers California and Nevada
• Soul in the Woods, covering the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Territory including Washington, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and New Mexico
• The Parkhill Agency, covering British Columbia and Alberta
• Agence Sports, covering Quebec

More information on North American offerings at malojaclothing.com or the global site is maloja.de.

PITTSBURGH, Penn. (BRAIN) — Dick's Sporting Goods has posted its sales and earnings for the third quarter of 2017, which ended Oct. 28. The company's net income for the quarter was $36.9 million or 35 cents per share, exceeding expectations of 22 to 30 cents per share. The sporting goods retailer's net sales also increased 7.4 percent to approximately $1.94 billion in the third quarter, while consolidated same-store earnings fell 0.9 percent over the same period in 2016, when those sales were up 5.2 percent.

E-commerce sales continue to be strong for the retailer, increasing about 16 percent and comprising 10.3 percent of total net sales, compared with 9.6 percent for the third quarter of 2016. But the company's earning were down 24.5 percent from a net income of $48.9 million or 44 cents, over the same quarter in 2016.

"In the third quarter, we delivered earnings per diluted share and comp sales at the high end of our expectations, with continued double-digit growth in e-commerce. As expected, margins were under pressure in this highly promotional environment, but our strategy for this environment enabled us to continue to capture market share," said Edward W. Stack, Dick's chairman and CEO. "As we look to the fourth quarter, we are comfortable with our prior implied sales and earnings outlook, and believe we are well positioned to gain additional market share."

"Looking ahead, we see tremendous opportunity in our industry as it continues to evolve. We plan to make significant investments in our business, which will have a short-term negative impact on our earnings; however, we expect these investments will pay meaningful dividends in the future. We plan to increase investments in our eCommerce business, the technology in our stores and store payroll in order to enhance the customer experience," Stack continued.

"Meaningful investments will also be made to Dick's Team Sports HQ, and in the development and support of our private brands. Given these investments, continued gross margin pressure and approximately flat comp sales, we expect earnings per diluted share to decline by as much as 20 percent in 2018."

The company opened 15 new Dick's Sporting Goods stores and six Field & Stream stores, while closing two specialty concept stores, during the third quarter. It now operates 719 Dick's stores in 47 states, and sells bikes from GT, Mongoose, Schwinn and others. The company recently ended its contract with Accell North America and will not continue to sell Diamondback bikes in its stores.

GOLDEN, Colo. (BRAIN) — Feedback Sports is returning to Mol, Belgium, for the 2017 UCI Masters CX World Championships Dec. 1-2.

After testing the waters last year, Feedback co-founders, Doug and Lisa Hudson are heading back to race again. This time they are bringing two additional employees: Katie Macarelli (marketing manager) and Will Allen (product engineering) to race as well. They will also be providing the official warm-up tent on the beach of Zilvermeer for all riders to use.

Doug Hudson said, "Traveling to an international race can be challenging, so to ease the burden a bit for the racers, we'll have Omnium portable trainers available in the tent for pre-race warm-ups. Since the Omnium works with both quick release and thru-axle bicycles, we don't have to worry about compatibility issues. Also the dual-drum design allows racers to ride the trainer with low race-level tire pressures."

In addition to racing and sponsoring Masters events, Feedback Sports supports the following elite cyclocross teams and racers:
Beobank-Corendon
Iko-Beobank
Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld
The Clif Pro Team, p/b LUNA
Donnelly Professional Cycling Team
Katie Compton
Helen Wyman

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Pocket Outdoor Media, LLC has appointed Rob Wood as chief revenue officer. Wood will be responsible for sales across Pocket's brands, which include VeloNews, Triathlete, Women's Running and Competitor.com. Wood was previously involved with several of these businesses, having sold advertising for VeloNews and Inside Triathlon as an account executive from 2000 to 2004.

Pocket bought the titles from World Triathlon Corporation in October.

An 18-year media veteran, 14-time Ironman finisher and current USA Cycling licensed competitor, Wood most recently was the executive director and publisher of National Park Trips Media, the owner of titles including Grand Canyon Journal, Yellowstone Journal, Yosemite Journal, and Rocky Mountain Journal. Wood managed some eight multimedia brands, with a total audience reaching more than 6 million consumers via 80 audience channels, including magazines, websites, social media, lead gen programs, educational programs, books and events.

Felix Magowan, Pocket's CEO said, "Media has arguably changed more in the last three years than in the previous 30, as the sheer number of options available to marketers has exploded. Even sophisticated brand gurus can be overwhelmed at times. I can think of no one better than Rob to listen to client needs, cut through the clutter, and deliver the most effective programs to drive brand equity and sales growth."

Wood started his career selling Fortune 100 accounts at MCI, AT&T and WorldCom, before moving to VeloNews and Inside Triathlon. Later, he was a top seller for National Geographic, with their Traveler and Adventure brands in New York and Washington, D.C. He has worked with a diverse endemic and non-endemic client base, such as GORE-TEX, Polar, XTERRA, Cervelo, PowerBar, Saucony, Canon, Nikon, Samsung, Liberty Mutual, John Hancock, Volvo, The North Face, REI and Subaru.

"As a cyclist, triathlete and runner I'm excited to be re-united with Pocket's brands, which I am truly passionate about. Now that these assets are once again owned by the same people who made them leading brands in the first place, it will make it that much easier for marketers to confidently buy Pocket's high-value social, digital and print audiences," said Wood. "I'm beyond excited to connect with all my industry friends, new and old, at The Running Event, Sea Otter, and Triathlon Business Conference!" he added.

DES MOINES, Iowa (BRAIN) — Organizers of the Iowa Bicycle Expo — which is held the same day as the RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party — expect 5,000 consumers to attend the Jan. 27 event, held at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines

The event brings together cycling enthusiasts, bicycle shops, industry experts, and destination guides. It is organized by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, which expects 130 vendor booths. Visitors will be able to test ride bikes, grab a beer or food and listen to live music.

This year the Expo has expanded, adding over 30 booth spaces, the TerraTrike demo track, and the Vandoit Floor Seminar Area. This is in addition to the Bike Law Iowa Entertainment Stage, Bikes To You Women's Lounge, and classroom areas for meetings.

New vendors including Selle Anatomica, ABUS, and Po Campo have reserved early spaces at the show, joining returning vendors, who include RAGBRAI, Primal, North American Cycles, and TerraTrike.

Booth spaces are still available. More information available at iowabikeexpo.com or by calling 515-309-2867.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (BRAIN) — The Dubai International Bicycle Exhibition tends to fall beneath the industry's radar screen, but the expo enters its third year on Jan. 12-13, 2018. While it's primarily a consumer event, it also attracts retailers and distributors from throughout the Middle East.

"Although the exhibition has an important business-to-business element to it, we have launched as a consumer show to provide a platform for cyclists to surround themselves with the bicycle industry's latest models, innovations and clubs to connect with top regional exhibitors and retailers," organizers said in an email.

Backing the event is the Arab Cycling Federation, first established in 1975. It organizes cycling championships in a number of Arab countries. Also backing the expo is WBS Sports Trading, a major regional distributor with offices in Dubai. WBS distributes dozens of key brands ranging from accessories like Lezyne and Lizard Skins to bike brands including Scott, Cervélo and Santa Cruz.

Highlighting the event is a two-day Extreme Pump Track Challenge, with the winner taking home about $6,800.

Last year the show attracted about 40 exhibitors and 3,000 visitors to the Dubai World Trade Center. The show is organized by Never Before Events, a management company with offices in Dubai. It also organizes the Dubai Motorbike Festival, the Photography Expo and One Breath, a free-diving and spearfishing exhibition.

For more information, contact oliver@neverb4events.com.

EASTON, Pa. (BRAIN) — For the third consecutive year, Genesis Bicycles will close its store on Black Friday while employees donate their pay to charity.

"We have a very close-knit group of people working here and when I first announced an extra day off for Thanksgiving, our employees were elated to have the extra family time. When all of the Genesis employees decided to donate their pay for that day to a local charity I knew we had something going that was much more special than just another hectic sale day," said Tomias Hinchcliff, owner of the 43-year-old store.

The store's staff will donate their pay, about $1,000, to The Children's Home of Easton. In addition, Genesis has named The Children's Home as the recipient of its third annual 2018 BikesGiving charitable initiative. The Children's Home of Easton was also the recipient of the 2017 BikesGiving donation, which will be presented at Genesis Bicycles' annual Customer Appreciation Party in December, bringing the total BikesGiving donations since inception to over $4,500.

The BikesGiving program was conceived to help the community while motivating people to get out and ride their bikes. This year 674 participants of all ages and abilities logged over 246,000 miles. Genesis donates a penny for every mile a participant rides throughout the year. Riders can register for free and submit their miles at www.bikesgiving.com.

The Children's Home of Easton, a private, nonprofit organization established in 1885, provides a caring, nurturing environment for children in need, as well as assistance to their families. They provide a continuum of services, including group care and other family-like programs in a safe, compassionate atmosphere. They provide long-term care through professional staff who guide, support and encourage children to believe in their own self-worth and reach their full potential.

Genesis will re-open on Saturday and will offer an incentive for customers to benefit the Children's Home: Genesis will pay the sales tax, up to $120, on any purchase made during their sale Saturday through Monday for any customer who makes a monetary or Wish List item donation to the home.

For more information on Genesis Bicycles and their BikesGiving program, visit BikesGiving.com or GenesisBicycles.com. For Wish List ideas for The Children's Home of Easton, visit www.thechildrenshome.org and click on the Get Involved tab.