It's been almost a month since Bike Month wrapped up and our legs are only now recovering!
GGLOers celebrated May with teams competing against each other to see who could peddle to the top of the firm rankings in this year's Bike Month Challenge. We would love to share the numbers with you:
Here is a belated congratulations to the Berserk Hurtin' Hustlers who road a staggering 1,247 miles and 223 total trips!
The rest of the teams were not far behind and put up some equally awesome numbers. Below is a snapshot of how the teams did, how the firm did as a whole and the individuals who stood out from the rest of the pack:
Team Statistics:
- Berserk Hurtin' Hustlers: 223 total trips, 114 commutes, 1247 miles ridden.
- Wheelvel Knievels: 195 total trips, 127 commutes, 744 miles ridden.
- Veloci-cycles: 194 total trips, 127 commutes, 886 miles ridden.
- The Wheady Milers: 175 total trips, 110 commutes, 949 miles ridden
- Pancake Promised Peddlers: 125 total trips, 59 commutes, 1031 miles ridden.
Office Statistics:
- 39 riders
- 912 trips
- 4,861 miles ridden
- 4,278 lbs of CO2 avoided
- 238,220 calories burned
The top three Riders:
- Most trips & most miles: Bron H who rode 78 total trips, 34 commutes and an overall distance of 416 miles.
- 2nd Place: Justin S who rode 77 total trips, with 34 commutes totaling 268 miles ridden.
- 3rd Place: Ross L road 50 total trips, 34 of which were commutes for a total distance of 155 miles.
Some quick updates to
all those waiting with baited breath to know how the GGLO Bike Challenge is
going:
- GGLOers have clocked in a staggering 595 trips as
of the latest tallying
- Those trips total over 3,200 miles ridden
as of May 1st!
- Adding these figures up, GGLO riders have avoided the
release of over 2,800 lbs of CO2 into our air.
Beth Dwyer is our winner for the
Bike Month Challenge Week #2! We caught up with her and she shared some wise
words with us on what it is like biking from West Seattle (spoiler: it involves
baby ducklings!)
What type
of bike do you ride?
I am in the process of deciding
what kind of new bike I want. I actually have a cool Schwinn cruiser but
it’s really heavy to commute with. I was promised a new road bike for
Mother’s Day so for right now I am using my neighbor’s Raleigh.
How many miles is your daily
commute?
It depends on the route,
it can range from 16 miles to 24 miles. Some days I go along Alki and
under the West Seattle Bridge. Other days I might go along Fauntleroy and grab
the Water Taxi. I often will do anything to avoid riding up Avalon Way
hill (although I have done it nonstop twice this month!!!)
How many trips have you made on
your bike this month and the distance?
I have only done 3 averaging
about 22 miles each trip. This is due to work schedule.
Did you ride your bike before
Bike Month this year, and will you keep it up?
Yes on
occasions. I will try and keep it up through the daylight months, however I
have no desire to ride next to the 18 wheelers in the dark..
What is the most interesting
thing that you've seen riding your bike in Seattle?
I have shared space with a baby
duckling, a few homeless camps, and a group of protesters. I also love the bike
trip counter under the WS Bridge– I think it’s cool that I can contribute to
“how many bike trips per year”.
Have you learned anything from
biking to work?
I have learned to appreciate
the diversity of my surroundings. I love riding along Me-Kwa-Mooks park and
Alki watching the seals in the water. The smell of the beach roses along the
path under the West Seattle Bridge is so heavenly. It completely counter
balances the deep bass of the teenagers cars on Alki and the diesel of the 18
wheelers along Alaskan Way as they whip by me.
Have any handy tips for other
riders?
Don’t forget to bring your
clothes for work. It can be really awkward to attend a meeting in spandex.
Biking is, admittedly, a pretty big deal at the GGLO office. Our firm has been an enthusiastic participant in Bike to Work Month (now Bike Month) for many years. We even invested in our own branded bike fleet. Always up for a bit of friendly competition, our staff is currently in the thick of the Bike Month Challenge where participants challenge themselves and others to ride as much as they can in the month of May.
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| We... really like bikes (if you couldn't tell) |
When May rolls around, the GGLO biking community splits into several different teams who compete with each other to see who can ride the most miles, with the most trips and commutes. Our esteemed teams for Bike Month 2015 are...
- Veloci-cycles
- Berserk Hurtin' Hustlers
- Wheelvel Knievels
- Pancake Promised Peddlers
- The Wheady Milers
The competition is in full swing with the teams above all vying for the top spot. Nearly half of our staff is participating in the Bike Month Challenge and as of yesterday our staff has ridden 372 trips totaling 2137 miles. That is equivalent to the release of 1,875 lbs of CO2 into the air avoided (when compared to a traditional car) and is also equivalent to 100,000 calories burned. Way to go guys!
For the remaining weeks of Bike Month we will be shining a spotlight on our office's weekly ride winners as well. Michael Lipko won our first week's prize, and he has shared with us some insight into his riding:
What type of bike do
you ride?
2014 Jamis Bosanova
touring bike with two wheels. That’s just how I roll.
How many miles is your daily commute?
8
miles to the gnat’s rear-end. West Seattle via the Harbor Island Bridge to
downtown. Some days I catch the water taxi back to stop at MARINATION and bask in the beer
and view.
How many trips have you made on your bike this month and the distance?
22 trips of which 16
are round trip commutes. 106 miles and counting…..
Did you ride your bike before Bike Month this year, and will you keep it up?
No and yes.
Before my schedule was too early and too late and I do enjoy the bus ride
except now it’s getting a bit crowded. I’m enjoying the freedom of riding
in and riding home.
What is the most interesting thing that you've seen riding your bike in Seattle?
Locks Park in
Ballard. It’s fascinating watching this mechanism raise and lower
boats. I could imagine a car bridge (or bike) lot doing the same
thing.
Have you learned anything from biking to work?
Diesel fumes are
abundant along the waterfront. Also, it takes a bit more time to get
ready for the day but you have some exercise already in the books.
Have any handy tips for other riders?
Did you ride your bike to work before Bike 2 Work Month
this year?
I just moved at the end of April, specifically to be closer
for commuting and hoping to ride my bike and walk more. Before that we were in
Lake City, which took about an hour to commute from. I really wanted to start
my bike commuting from the new place on the first day of Bike to Work Month but
up until the night before my bike was broken. I knew that if I didn't fix it I
wouldn't have another opportunity that was as good to jump start riding so I
spent all night beforehand trying to get it ready. That’s what I got the award
for.
Have you learned anything from biking to work?
I’ve learned that riding my bike is faster than taking the
bus. I have a really easy route so I get to work in 15 minutes. Even going
home, which is uphill – it’s faster for me to bike most of the way and put my
bike on the bus for the last 8 blocks – the most brutal part – than to catch
the bus from downtown.
Do you think you’ll keep biking once Bike to Work Month
is over?
I think I will but I will also try to walk more for the
additional exercise.
Have you seen anything fun on your rides in?
Yesterday I rode to Jackson and Maynard and was waiting at
the bus stop – it was so hot out. A little old lady at the bus stop pointed at
my bike and at my helmet and said, “Good for your health!” and then she gave me
an apple from her grocery bag.
Charla Lemoine is the GGLO Bike2Work Award winner for
Week 1 of Bike to Work Month. She won her award for staying up all night
ensuring her bike was prepped for the ride in on Day 1. During that night she
learned the long way that there is a quick release lever for her bike’s front
tire, which would have spared her from disassembling the whole thing.
Last Wednesday, May 1, GGLO kicked off our annual Bike to Work Month Challenge, enlisting
four teams (37 riders) to compete in several categories. As of this Wednesday, in
one week GGLO riders made 84 trips, totaling 1,246 miles.
We’re proud of our bike-riding employees' enthusiasm for
this effort and we wanted to take it a step further. Not everyone at GGLO owns or
has access to a bicycle. According to
the 2012 Bicycle Participation Survey
conducted by SDOT, about 60% of Seattle residents say that they do not have
access to a working bike. Among the
40% who do have access, only 13% ride daily
or a few times a week, while 40% ride
never or almost never.
In the attempt to reach a solution for our firm, GGLO worked
with Velo Bike Shop to select four
“cruiser” style bicycles that would be durable, approachable and beautiful to
encourage non-bike owning GGLOers to take the bikes on short trips for their
errands and appointments around town. Lloyd Tamura and his great crew, from
their new home at the Northeast corner of Via6,
have consulted several other firms and agencies on purchase of bicycle fleets
and were extremely helpful in assisting us on the purchase of four bicycles,
helmets and locks.
So far, the new bikes are quite popular and we hope to support
additional ridership through the following measures:
Throughout May, we are holding weekly “crits” on
bicycle maintenance and safety related topics. Today’s crit, How to Change a Flat, will do just that.
We are holding an internal contest to design
branded accessories and safety gear, to be judged by guest jurors.
- By popular demand, we are creating maps of bike-friendly
routes to popular destinations around our office.
From GGLO, we wish you a safe and happy
Bike-to-Work Month. Check back for updates!
