BLOOMINGTON, MN (BRAIN)—Last fall, Civia unveiled its Greenlight web application.
Free to register and use by anyone, Greenlight promotes transportation cycling by providing trip-tracking software for logging bicycle riding miles. It is also a venue for friendly competition. Greenlight, now boasting more than 1,600 registered users, will be the arena for Civia’s industry-wide challenge.
“We’re setting up two challenges, one for vendors, one for dealers,” said Civia general manager Scott Thayer. “There’s no limit to the number of teams, and the team that rides the most miles wins. Simple.”
What Thayer really wants to show the industry is how organizations large and small can use Greenlight to promote commuting.
Steve Flagg, president of Quality Bicycle Products (QBP), saw the benefit of trip tracking and competition first hand.
“Greenlight is the solution for tracking rider mileage, especially for organizations,” Flagg said. “We’ve had a bike commuting incentives program for years, but when we set up
teams to compete against each other, ridership went up 40 percent. It’s free, fun and benefits the community.”
Greenlight has had recent success on a much larger scale. The Austin Commuter Challenge, a city-wide promotion by the Bicycle Sport Shop in Austin, Texas, encourages residents to bike further and more often. So far the challenge, which started May 4 and runs through the end of the month, has tracked more than 25,000 miles ridden by 317 of Austin’s residents. In addition to promoting the environmental and health benefits of cycling, organizers hope participation numbers and mileage totals will stimulate increased bicycle advocacy and infrastructure.
While Thayer enjoys the grandiose challenges happening on greenlightride.com, he acknowledges that the individual rider is the heart of Greenlight.
“There are a lot of people out there who just want to track their rides, set goals and gain a sense of accomplishment from seeing the miles add up,” he said. “Now is a perfect
time to start—they’re shaking off the garage-dust and getting back in the saddle.”
Interested individuals can register and start tracking miles at greenlightride.com (click on link). Organizations with questions about setting up leagues or challenges can feel free to contact Thayer via e-mail at scott@civiacycles.com.
