Get Ready to Ride in the Rain!

The Fourth UPASS Ride in the Rain Challenge Coming Up

In January U-PASS will celebrate the fourth annual Ride in the Rain Challenge. This UW tradition was the brainchild of Lisa Quinn, an all-weather bicyclist in the U-PASS office who wanted to recognize her fellow pedalers for their year-round commutes. Developed with the mission to reduce motorized commute trips to campus, U-PASS was eager to both reward current riders and give potential new bike commuters an incentive to try jumping on their bikes on a less-than-perfect day.

Well, the wet season it may be—but campus riders are finding out that riding to work on those winter mornings is not all drip and dreary. In fact, word is out that the extra zing it provides to your day can be habit-forming--especially if you are well-prepared. Ask any of last year’s more than 800 participants.

This year, you can start off with a good foundation by taking one of the ASUW and U-PASS sponsored classes (find out more). Then, Ride in the Rain participants are invited to sign up during the month of December to ride in January’s month-long commute challenge. Cyclists can compete as lone riders or ride as part of a virtual team. Teams exist in cyber-space with a real-live captain at the helm to record riders’ weekly rides. If you’ve ever been seen wearing a bike helmet, it is likely that someone will try to recruit you. If you aren’t snapped up immediately, you can start your own team, sign up as a free agent looking for a team, or as an individual with no team affiliation.

Throughout the month riders count their trips to campus earning points for every bicycle commute and adding premium points for rides when it’s raining. Everything is posted online, so teams can monitor their competition. In February, everyone who completed the minimum number of commute trips joins U-PASS for a gala luncheon and award ceremony. Awards are provided by sponsoring bike shops and are given to individuals and teams reporting the Most Commute Miles, Most Commute Trips, Most New Commuters, and of course, Most Rides in the Rain.

Ride in the Rain is a great way to shake off the winter blues, stay in shape, and do your part to reduce traffic congestion and pollution—it’s a bright spot in a dark month.

The U-COMMUTE News is published twice a year for staff and faculty. For additional information, visit our web site at http://www.washington.edu/commuterservices/index.php. Your suggestions and comments are welcome. Please contact the Transportation Office at upass@u.washington.edu, 206.543.0450 or Box 355212.