Staunton-Augusta YMCA pedals for a big win

STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) - The Staunton-Augusta YMCA is pedaling toward a big victory as they compete in the Y Madness Challenge as finalists for the first time.

Y Madness is a nationwide competition for every YMCA with Expresso bike machines for the most miles in a 24-hour period. In this case, every Thursday.

Candace Martin, the Associate Executive Director of the Staunton-Augusta Y said this competition has restored the togetherness that some had missed.

”During COVID, we lost a sense of community, and this is one way we got it back,” she said. “Our business manager was like ‘Everybody needs to ride. Everybody needs to ride’ and his enthusiasm has just transformed to nine bikes being busy all day long.”

Martin said riders ranged from under 20-years-old to over 90-years-old. Last Thursday, for the semi-final round, 66 people participated.

While tracking miles for the team as a whole, individual miles are being logged, too. There are 25 all-tournament team awards up for grabs. Martin said there are four members that qualify, so far, including one person who logged 176 miles last week.

Staunton-Augusta is facing off against Chambersburg YMCA in Pennsylvania, who they outscored in the semi-finals by over 200 miles.

The competition ends at midnight on Thursday.

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