2021 Ride Challenge

(aka Commuter Challenge 2021)

Track your rides on Love to Ride and participate in two challenges by racking up the miles and trying to ride consecutive days.
Miles Challenge – Participants will bike as many miles as they can in May, in three categories.
Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for each category (Commuting, Fitness & Fun, Bike with Kids).
Ride, Repeat Challenge – Bike consecutive days in May. Participants that ride a minimum of 5 days in a row will be
entered into a random participation drawing. Prizes will be awarded to the Top 3 riders who achieve the most
consecutive days of riding throughout the month of May.

Instructions:

Register on Love to Ride here (see below for more information).

• Create an account using Facebook, an email, or STRAVA
• Be sure to sign up for the Mesa County Biking group here

Track your rides for any or all of the following categories:

• Commuting – Select the (Transport to) category
• Fun or Fitness
• Bike with Kids
• Mobile app available for added simplicity.
• Links with STRAVA for ease of tracking trips.
• View stories, photos, and bicycle inspiration from all over the world.

Grand Valley Bike to Work – May 5th

It is a day to leave your car at home and ride with your family, friends, and coworkers to school and work. Riders are encouraged to bike in for local discounts. Full list here (coming soon).

Bike to Business Discounts

BUSINESS                  DISCOUNT                     DURATION

Octopus Coffee                     $.50 off all drinks                                     All Month

Perdita’s Coffee                     50 % off Drinks                                           May 5th

Kiln Coffee                             50% of Drinks                                               May 5th

Main Street Bagels                20% off Drip Coffee                                All Month

Monumental Beer Works       Buy one get one (first round only)           All Month

Kannah Creek Brewery            Buy an appetizer and get a pint of beer free          May 5th

Edgewater Brewery                   Buy an appetizer and get a pint of beer free          May 5th

Selfie Contest

1. Participate in the weekly selfie contest! Each week, riders are encouraged to bike a new route and or trail, snap a photovand submit. Participants can submit two entries per week; Bike Route & Trail.
2. Show off your skills with the Bike Skills Selfie Contest. Participants must complete 3 challenges from the list below thenvsubmit all three photos together in a pic-collage or in one jpeg document by the end of the month.
Bike Skills:
• Proper Helmet Fitting
• Bike Chain Cleaning
• Fixing a Flat Tire/ New Tube
• Hand Signals
• What’s in your Pack
• Trackstand
• Bike Skills Park
• Front Wheel Lift
• Riding Downhill / Drops
Deadlines: Weekly Selfie Contest Week 1: May 10 Week 2: May 17 Week 3: May 24 Week 4: June 1

Bike Skills Selfie Contest June 1, 2021

Entry Submission: Email submissions to bikemonth@mesacounty.us, post to Love to Ride, Tag Mobile Mesa County
on Facebook or Instagram, or use #GVBikeMonth (must have a public account to submit with hashtag).

Know the Rules of the Road

1.  Be courteous, share the road and obey all traffic laws, signs and signals.
2. Ride on the shoulder (if one exists) or on the right side of the road.
3. You may ride two abreast when doing so does not impede the flow of traffic. Ride single file to allow vehicles to pass.
4. Signal turns for 100 feet in advance, unless you need both hands to brake or control your bicycle. (Hand signals handout).
5. At night, ride with a white front light and a red rear light or reflector.
6. Yield to pedestrians.
7. Ditch the sidewalks when a bike lane or side road is available. Riding on the sidewalk can be hazardous for other pedestrians and puts you outside drivers’ field of view.

Check out Bicycle Colorado’s website for more information on safe riding. Click here to download Colorado rules for bicyclists and motorists.

Gather your Gear

• Helmet – Protect yourself! A majority of bike fatalities involve riders without a helmet.
• Lock
• Lights – In case you stay lat, be prepared with a white front light and a red rear light or reflector.
• Rack, basket or pannier for carrying your stuff.
• ID and fully charged cell phone for safety.
• Flat-changing supplies
• Change of clothes, lunch and other supplies you will need for the day!

Prep your Office

• Extra clothes – keep a pair of dress shoes and change of clothes at your desk.
• Toiletries – Keep a “freshen-up” kit with extra deodorant, baby powder, dry shampoo, hair brush, etc.
• Towel
• Snacks

Click here for more detailed recommendations about commuting by bike.

Bike Maps

Safe Routes to School
Visit Mesa County Regional Transportation Planning Office (RTPO) site for information on local
Safe Routes to School. The site features Safe Routes maps for elementary and middle schools
in the Grand Valley here.

Find a safe route from your home to work or other destinations. Practice the route in the evening or weekend. Use the map below of recommended bike routes within the City of Grand Junction.

Participating in Grand Valley Bike Month 2021

Bike month Schedule 

How can your business participate in Bike to Work Day?

• Coordinate an employee group ride. Encourage employees to bike to work and arrange a
  meet up location with day parking so employees who live too far to bike to work can park and
  ride together as a group. Another option is to organize a ride after work, departing from your
  place of business; possibly make plans to bike to a local eatery.
• Safety Recommendations:

Take the route with the least amount of motor vehicle traffic. Try to find routes that

incorporate a wide shoulder, bike lane, or multi-use path. And routes that have more
bicyclists using them tend to be ones where drivers are more in tune with sharing the road.
– If you have a larger group, ride in groups ranging in speed from faster riders to leisurely
riders who take it slow.
– When riding in the dark, wear reflective gear and use bike lights.
– When biking to a local business or park, make sure multiple riders in the group have bike
locks so that all bikes can be secured.
– Offer resources to employees that will help with bicycle safety checks prior to the ride.
– Encourage riders to wear helmets, close-toed shoes, and to avoid baggy clothing that could
get caught in the chain.

• Encourage employees to take advantage of the local Bike to Business discounts; allow extra
  time in the morning for employees to stop on their way to work or provide longer breaks. Check
  out the complete list of BTB discounts on the Bike Month website.
  . Allow for casual attire on Bike to Work Day to help employees feel more comfortable when
  biking to work.

How can your business support bike commuting?

• Provide a bike rack at your business to encourage commuting by employees and customers.
• Provide basic bike repair tools for your employees, or consider partnering with neighboring
  businesses to install an outdoor bike repair station.
• Provide a space within/outside your business to display local biking maps, commuter routes,
  and other printed materials.
• Consider providing small incentives to encourage bicycle commuting. This can be especially
  beneficial if parking is limited at or near your workplace.
• Review resources from Bicycle Colorado, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s
  (CDOT) Bicycle & Pedestrian Program, and the The League of American Bicyclists, follow these pages on social media.
  Bike Colorado
  CDOT
  The League of American Bicyclists
• Consider becoming a bicycle friendly business here. Review the Attributes of a Bicycle Friendly
  Business or apply to become a Bike Friendly Business here.

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