(Photo: BTA)
If you’ve noticed that the roads are a bit more full of bikes than usual, it’s because the BTA’s Bike Commute Challenge is underway. The month-long event is in its 16th year and if last year’s record-breaking participation is any indicator, there are likely to be several thousand brand new bike commuters on the roads.
The Challenge is a friendly competition between workplaces to see who can log the most trips by bike. There are over 1,100 teams and nearly 8,000 individuals currently logging trips on the BikeCommuteChallenge.com website. Once logged in, you can log your trips and even set up head-to-head competitions. Teams are separated into a number of categories based on size and other factors (like non-profits, public agencies, and so on). After results are tallied, the BTA hosts a big and awesome party to celebrate (read our report and photos from last year’s event).
Last year, riders logged over 1.2 million miles. One-third of the way through this month, riders have logged 262,624 miles.
BTA staffer Stephanie Noll shared two new things to note this year. First is a team captain award in in memory of Brad Buchanan, a Bike Commute Challenge participant who passed away this year. Also new this year is a big, open-to-the-public after-party at Rotture (315 SE 3rd Ave) featuring a live performance by Hurtbird, whose “I Like My Bike” song we featured back in February (and you can listen to online here).
To entice more people to ride, many local businesses have come up with all sorts of encouragement programs. Portland-based Nau Clothing is giving away one of their excellent jackets to whomever comes up with the best caption on a photo of their bike. Check out all the fun submissions on Nau’s Facebook page.
Over at ad agency Wieden+Kennedy they’ve come up with a challenge of their own. If the company has 60 or more riders signed up and they log over 4,400 miles (doubling their stats from last year), a female employee will shave a male employees legs at an agency wide meeting. They even made a video about it. I hope it happens, just so I can see the photos.
Today’s Oregonian has a great article about the “perks” several other local companies are offering as part of the Bike Commute Challenge
Port of Portland employee Ray Terrill wrote in to say his team has logged about 2188 miles so far and that 2.5% of the staff is participating. He wants to drum up more competition with rivals in his category from the Port of Vancouver and staff at Community Environmental Services at PSU, both of whom Ray says his team is currently “leaving in the dust!”
Feel free to use the comments to trash talk your rivals and get more of you co-workers involved. The BTA is posting a daily “Bike Commute Photo of the Day” on their blog to keep you motivated.
Learn more and register to log your trips at BikeCommuteChallenge.com.
I was bummed I missed yesterday because I had a flat when I went out to the garage in the morning…
I was 100% before then, still better than the other 2 people on my team here at work…
but yeah, seeing a lot of people out on bikes this month… the MUPs are packed…
Thanks for covering this Jonathan! Finally! 😉
Captains: Be sure to look into ways to increase awareness of this challenge at your workplace.
-Workplace posters: I wish the BTA had decent workplace posters, but I support we could make our own. The ‘breath’ flier might work, but it is really cheesy and smug to me. ‘My bike commute is a breath of fresh air!’ ugh..
-Challenge another team. Another workplace of the same company or industry might be possible and you can connect with other captains for ideas, maybe a neighboring company of similar size.
-Meet and greet with the other riders
-Submit the challenge to your company news site.
-Get a team photo and publish
-Broadcast to your team regularly. Blast and praise them as you battle the rival team.
-Track the friendly rivalry with some charts and get it on the intranet or a poster. Some folks have a competitive spirit and will consider joining, while others will certainly find the month long challenge interesting with the stats/charts.
-Be sure to lend a hand when you can to struggling new commuters with flats and mechanicals.
Please share your ideas here. Thanks.
Commuting to north Portland’s Swan Island Industrial Area by bicycle is a double challenge with all those trucks and just one legal all weather route.
Despite that Daimler Trucks North America, formerly known as Freightliner, is hanging in there in 10th place at almost 2% participation. Its where they have been for the last few years. Their engineers, including senior VP for Engineering, design heavy duty trucks but they love to commute by bicycle.
Couldn’t ride to work because of a flat tire? What’s up with that?
I don’t know, think the “Breathe” posters are about the coolest thing BTA has ever done. (Of course, I think most everything else they do is pretty lame, and blue *is* my favorite color 🙂
One route? Seriously? Only one? C’mon…
Yes, Swan only has one legal route, via sidewalk. No bike lanes on the road. And on 90% of the island, newbies and regular bike commuters alike fear to ‘tread’ on the road, where UPS trucks, tripple trailers and military vehicles rule the land. There are also sections with no sidewalk, so it’s difficult to convice people to even try.
Did I mention that there is only one paved way onto and out of the island? I actually carry my all-terrain bike up and down the bluff on a steep switchback trail. Easier to do that and have a 3 mile roundtrip than ride on the road/sidewalk and have a 10 mile roundtrip….