The Office of Sustainability would like to thank all 35 individuals who took part in the Bay State Bike Week Mass Commute Challenge last week! Tufts finished with 981 miles as a team (including 53 miles from the Medical Center in Boston).
Ken Olum on his recumbent bike, a Bacchetta Strada
Among those who took the challenge was Ken Olum from the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the School of Arts & Sciences. ”I live in Sharon, a bit over 25 miles from campus,” Ken told us over email. ”Normally I bike to the Sharon train station, ride the train to South Station and the red line to Davis, and bike from there. I bike nearly every day except when there’s snow or ice on the roads.”
For the MassCommute Challenge, Ken upped the ante. He didn’t feel comfortable doing 50 miles in one day, so he compromised by biking 23 miles from the Sharon commuter rail station to work last Thursday. He left his bike at Davis Square that night and went home by train. He then got a ride to the station the next morning, took the train to Davis Square, biked to work and then rode all 25 miles home on Friday evening. Kudos to Ken for finding a way to make it work!
The MassCommute Bicycle Challenge is the signature event of Bay State Bike Week, Massachusetts’ annual state-wide bicycle commuting event which was held this year from May 14-20. Anyone who lives, works or attends school in the state can participate in the Challenge or any number of events going on around the state. For instance, Somerville hosted a commuter breakfast and several group rides.
The Office of Sustainability is giving away a 2012 Mass Commute t-shirt for the person who rode the most number of miles last week, so email us with your mileage totals so we can put you in the running for the shirt!
Don’t forget that you can earn rewards year-round thru NuRide! Whenever you avoid using a car—whether you walk, bike, telecommute, carpool, vanpool, take a subway, train, bus, ferry, or even work a compressed work week – you can earn 100 points per trip. Redeem the points for discounts or freebies at local and online establishments. (NuRide also offers a ride matching program that helps commuters quickly and securely find carpool partners.)
| Team | Miles | Miles/Person | Trips | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
928 | 26.5 | 406 | |
| Tufts N.E. Medical Center | 53 | 26.5 | 14 |
