NuGo Athlete of the Month: Patrick Stephenson

Biker and founder of 30 Days of Biking, Patrick Stephenson became fixated on bikes when he was 26, when a friend encouraged him to start biking to work. He fell in love with biking and now at the age of 34, he lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of the top bicycling cities in the United States. “Biking was what I’d needed all along. It made me more comfortable in my body, it made me lose weight, and it made me happier,” he said.

Patrick’s biggest achievement has been organizing and directing 30 Days of Biking, a pledge to ride your bike every day in April and share your adventures online with the hashtag #30daysofbiking. It started when he first became in love with biking and saw on Twitter a proposal for #30daysofyoga. In 2010, he tossed the idea out on Twitter for #30daysofbiking and his life hasn’t been the same since. Now, 30 Days of Biking has thousands of participants from all around the world with organized weekly rides in April and monthly rides outside of April. They also sponsor dozens of other rides including 30 kickoff events this April.

The goal is to make 30 Days of Biking (whose parent non-profit is Joyful Riders, Inc) a fully functional grant-funded nonprofit by the end of 2017. He wants to reach thousands of potential riders around the world and encourage them to give biking every day a try.

Patrick's love of biking led to an unexpected love. He met his wife on an organized ride. The two are expecting a child this year! He is excited to be a dad who bikes his daughter to daycare and school.

Patrick first started eating NuGo bars after high-intensity workouts at a local gym. He would walk across the street post-workout and pick up a NuGo bar for some post-workout protein. His favorite flavor is NuGo Dark Mint Chocolate Chip. He loves NuGo bars because they are delicious, “like ridiculously delicious. Most protein bars are absolutely disgusting, and I love that NuGo isn’t. I love that they’re gluten-free and trans-fat-free and Non-GMO," he said.

Outside of 30 Days of Biking, Patrick is a copywriter for Minnesota Public Radio. He loves hiking, camping, his cats, and drinking coffee. Learn more about 30 Days of Biking on their website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and follow Patrick’s journey on Twitter.