Group Health Commute Challenge
Captain's Advice

Sean Cryan, a past Captain of the Year, offers some great advice and ideas. Find out how easy it is to challenge other companies and how to get YOUR team pumped up for this years event!

Business to Business Challenge Ideas:

  • People like a challenge/people like competition
  • Get your CEO to participate. It's amazing how many others will be motivated. If you can't get your CEO to do it, get your biggest competitor's CEO to do it. Yours will sign up, too.
  • Use peer pressure. Twist a few arms, others will follow. I did that last year, and this year people are asking me how to join.
  • Challenge someone you know.
  • Challenge someone in a similar business. Be creative. Last year we challenged other architects or engineers. The Woodland Park Zoo could challenge the Science Center and the Aquarium.
  • Use an e-mail tree. Ask two people to ask two people, etc.
  • Challenge within your firm. If you have enough people for two teams, make one a leadership team, and the other just plain folks. There will be a lot of incentive to bury the leaders.
  • Find a venue for regular reporting - let people mark their daily rides on a chart somewhere prominent. We do ours next to the restrooms - there is a common corridor to get there. It promotes discussion, and gets even the non-participants involved.
  • Track accomplishments of team members - make it a big deal when they hit their goals. It's okay to get a little goofy or make a fool of yourself.
  • Ask your firm to do T-shirts, especially if you are competing against another firm.
  • Get your kids involved - kid team vs. grown-up team. Talk to your school gym teacher to get their team started - Brian Pule did a tremendous job last year at Whittier School, and had 65 kids for Bike to School Day, and a pretty good percentage of whom completed the challenge.

In-House Challenge Ideas:

  • Talk to your CTR person about possible benefits for employees
  • Propose Friday morning treats - morning food for riders on BWD and each Friday of BWM
  • Do you have showers? If not, ask in the building - your building manager may have some share option.
    • If that doesn't work, there may be a local health club with facilities
    • Ask a friend who works nearby if there facility will allow you to use
    • If none of those work, it's still possible to shower at home, and just towel off at the office, without being smelly for the entire day
  • Do you have storage?
    • If your building has parking, there is often a space for bicycle parking
    • If there is an unused storage room, it can be used
    • There might be some other temporary space available
    • Hooks on the wall are pretty easy (and cheap) to set up
    • Make sure you provide a place that locks, or that a lock can be fastened to
  • Are there incentives?
    • Can you trade an office supplied parking cost for one month to be a biking benefit? Can you make this a year-round option?
    • Will your insurance cut you a healthy lifestyles break? Or at least donate a prize?
    • Can you add some permanent bike storage in an under utilized space?
    • Can you get your building to put in a shower/ lockers for building use?
  • Offer to help others
    • Get someone who knows bikes a little to do an in-house repair session - fix your own bike.
    • Offer to show others the routes to ride - meet them at a landmark on the way in, and guide them through the complexities of getting across town, or over the Ballard Bridge, etc.
    • See if you know someone who can give a bike safety lecture at work.
  • MAKE IT FUN. BECAUSE IT IS, REALLY.

If you are new to bicycle commuting, please visit our resources page for great tips on getting started.

Group Health
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Performance
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