Toes sting, squinted and blurred vision searches out traces of trail while numb finger tips clumsily reach for brakes.  Cold, wet, dark days do not inspire many people to venture out on their bicycles to get to work.  And the bicycle trails in the Pacific Northwest get awful lonely in the winter. 

One nite while attempting to warm our spirits over a local pint the discussion turned to that of the bicycle commuter.  It was noted what a great idea the Cascade Bicycle Club has in the Bike to Work month Challenge.  However, it was also noted how few people there were on the trail after the challenge was over.  Why?  The weather didn’t turn instantly bad after the month was over.  A vortex didn’t open up and swallow all the bicycle commuters up.  We broken it down simply and thought it was because the ‘competition’ was over.  Without the idea of something to challenge riders, the riders stopped. 

The initial idea was to start something within Raleigh, to provide an incentive program for the employees for commuting by bicycle.  As we talked more and more, began asking various vendors for ‘prizes’ for the people riding in, the idea spread.  It spread to other Outdoor Industry Companies in the NW and over a couple soggy pints, the Rush Hour Revolution was born. 

The competition is almost over now. 

Three months of sweet summer riding in Seattle, Portland and somewhere in Illinois.

Ninety riders.

Over 3,500 car trips off the road

Over 35,000 total miles for the summer (I estimate we will have 37,000 miles recorded when this ends on Friday)

Three bike in movie nites

One sweet scavenger hunt

One baby boy born with just a couple weeks remaining…she was the leader in recording the most “Rain Days” ridden until she had her son.

What started out as an idea over a beer turned into something larger than I ever expected.  As this is event is winding down everyone who participated is asking us to continue the event, and people who have heard about it want to join.  But the people who have worked so hard to make this happen…need to take a small break.  We’ve put in countless hours of our personal time to make this thing happen and we need to enjoy what is left of the summer. 

However, we are already working on a ‘Dark Ride’ for this winter…which should prove to be a huge challenge for everyone involved.  Stay tuned.