We’re happy to report that Team LifeBalance finished strong in the Bike More Challenge! As the month of May came to a close, our riders blew past the 200 mile mark, finishing with 242 total collective miles logged. The last three days saw the most concentrated activity of the whole month – 51 miles logged – including miles from a lunchtime ride we took to the Milwaukie Station food cart pod. We want to give a big shout out to all the riders on our staff, and those of you who have been cheering and participating alongside us this past month. Thank you!

The Bike More Challenge may be over, but the cycling fun is just getting started! With the onset of beautiful summer weather, June is a great time to find group rides in your community. Group rides can be a great way to meet new people, experience cycling culture, and discover new bike routes near you. Oftentimes you can find them hosted by local bike shops, cycling clubs, or community organizations. In Portland, we have a series of community-organized bike rides called Pedalpalooza, with multiple themed rides scheduled every day throughout the month.

For those in search of a more competitive, or more formally-organized experience, start looking now for races that will happen this summer. LifeBalance offers discounts on several rides and races, including the Petal Pedal (June 22, 2019), Portland Century (August 18, 2019), and Tour de Lab (September 1, 2019). If you’re in need of new gear, a tune-up, or spinning classes, you can check out all of our cycling discounts on LifeBalance.

Cycling can also be a great way to incorporate physical activity into your vacation! Mixing of fun and exercise can help your trip feel more balanced. If you’re taking a trip to another city, check to see if they have a bike share system. Many cities now offer bike shares, which allow you to conveniently rent bikes for trips around town and only pay for the time you’re riding. If you’re looking to get away from the city on your vacation, guided bike tours can be a great way to explore. LifeBalance members can save on tours in a variety of locations, including California’s wine country and the forests of Maine.

However you choose to get out this summer, we hope that you have fun, stay safe, and enjoy the sunshine! And get pictures! We encourage you to share photos of your summer adventures with us, by tagging @lbprogram on Facebook and Instagram. We always love to see how you make your LifeBalance!

We’re already at the halfway point of the Bike More Challenge! Time flies when you’re having fun (and riding like crazy)!

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather we had here in Portland, Team LifeBalance got off to a great start, with six riders logging 116 miles over 15 days. That’s 11 miles ahead of where we were at this point last year! This effort netted us 356 points and moved us into 76^th place out of 137 participating companies with 7 – 19 staff. Shoutout to Foot Traffic, which is the only LifeBalance vendor competing along with us in this size bracket.

We plan to continue logging miles in the coming days, as well! Friday, May 17^th is National Bike to Work Day, and we’ve encouraged all of our staff to ride in, if they’re able. We think you should too! If you’re new to cycling to work, and need some tips for getting started, check out our interview with Matt Faunt from The Street Trust. And if you’re in Portland, take advantage of the free Biketown access through Sunday, May 19th. At the time of writing, the weather in Portland is forecasted to be a perfectly mild 50° – 60° F.

For LifeBalance Program members, if you’re looking to pick up some cycling gear, a new bike, or just need a tune-up, check out these LifeBalance vendors for special discounts:

• Big 5 Sporting Goods (Nationwide)
• Pacific Outfitters (Northern California)
• Adventure’s Edge (Northern California)
• Jax Bicycles (Southern California)
• Two Wheeler Dealer (Brea, California)
• Fullerton Bicycles (Fullerton, California)
• Joyride Cycles (Boise, Idaho)
• Rainbow Bicycle (Lewiston, Maine)
• Busytown Bikes (Lewiston, Maine)
• Open Road Bicycle & Nordic (Missoula, Montana)
• Bike Doctor (Missoula, Montana)
• Big Sky Bikes (Missoula, Montana)
• Great Divide Cyclery (Helena, Montana)
• VeloFix (Portland, Oregon)
• Cynergy E-Bikes (Portland, Oregon)
• Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life (Eugene, Oregon)
• Bikes & Beyond (Astoria, Oregon)
• Velocity Bike Shop (Lubbock, Texas)
• Canyon Sports (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Proper Cycle Werks (Longview, Washington)
• Jack’s Bicycle Center (Bellingham, Washington)
• Bicycle Barn (Walla Walla, Washington)
• North Division Bike Shop (Spokane, Washington)
• Bicycle Butler (Spokane, Washington)

And if you’re an Oregonian who wants to register for the Bike More Challenge, just head over to lovetoride.net/oregon and sign up for free! See you on the road!

Every May, the staff here at the LifeBalance Program takes part in Oregon’s Bike More Challenge. Companies in Oregon compete to see whose employees can get outside and ride bicycles the most throughout the month. Scores for employees are calculated based on criteria like the number of people you’ve encouraged to participate, the number of days in which you’ve taken a ride, and the total number of miles logged. Those scores are then aggregated to determine the score for a company. We’ll be posting updates about our progress here on the blog, as well as on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

In preparation for kicking off this year’s Challenge, we sat down with Matt Faunt, Program and Events Assistant at The Street Trust. Matt manages the Bike More Challenge and helps support team captains in workplaces across Oregon as they rally their teams this month.

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LifeBalance: What’s new with the Bike More Challenge this year?

Matt: This year, in addition to being able to register with your workplace, there’s an added feature that allows you to join a club or group. Folks who don’t have a traditional work scenario – maybe they work remotely, are a stay-at-home parent, or work for a company out of state – have an option to participate. You can create a club with your friends, your family, whoever you want.

With my family, we created a club because we have a few stay-at-home parents who wanted to participate. This May, I’ll be competing on behalf of my workplace team, and also my family’s club. My rides count towards the totals for both.

LifeBalance: The Bike More Challenge is specific to Oregon. How can folks in other states get involved?

Matt: Part of the reason we hold the Challenge in May is that May is National Bike Month. The League of American Cyclists does a National Bike Challenge that starts in May and runs on the same platform. That’s one that folks can look into and participate in wherever they live.

LifeBalance: Many cities and states also have their own Bike Month events and challenges, including these ones:

• Washington (statewide): Bike Everywhere Challenge
• Maine (statewide): National Bike Month Events
• Los Angeles, CA: Bike Month 2019
• Anchorage, AK: Bike to Work Day – May 17
• Missoula, MT: May is Bike Month
• Champaign-Urbana, IL: C-U Bike Month 2019
• Austin, TX: National Bike Challenge Austin

LifeBalance: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start commuting by bike, who has never done it before?

Matt: The primary concern many folks have is safety. They don’t feel safe on the streets or in traffic, and that’s a very natural fear to have with so many cars on the road. My advice would be to pick a safe route in advance, and plan your ride out.

Here in Portland, there are great maps for walking and biking. Even as someone who cycles every day, I pull those up once a week or so if I have to go to a new area to find the best route. Google Maps doesn’t always provide the safest route, so maps produced by your city are really, really helpful in finding a quiet, safe route. You can also test out routes by riding with other cyclists you know. Whatever it takes for you to find a comfortable route to get familiar with.

Another thing people hesitate on is the time it will take to get somewhere. One thing I love about cycling is that it’s predictable. While weather and other factors can change traffic and affect the time it takes you to get to work by car, cycling is usually more consistent when it comes to the time it takes to get somewhere.

LifeBalance: Is there a piece of cycling gear you won’t leave home without right now?

Matt: You know, that’s funny because I’m totally a bike nerd, but to be perfectly honest, I got my rain pants at Costco years ago and they were super affordable. You could probably get an equal quality pair at Goodwill for $15. I’m an avid cyclist and very into having nice equipment, but my clothing is pretty average.

The thing I’d never leave home without are my helmet and lights. Riding gives me so much joy and freedom, and it’s important to be as safe and visible as possible. Make sure you have a helmet, a front light, and a rear light.

LifeBalance: About that. There’s a lot of expensive cycling gear out there. Is any of it worth spending more on? Where can we save?

Matt: The most affordable lights will be around $15, but if you set aside $25 or so and go with the next level up for a rechargeable light, it’s a really worthwhile investment. With helmets, there’s a wide variety and range of prices, but they all have to pass the same safety tests. You can spend more, but you’re not necessarily getting a safer helmet. Maybe just a flashier one.

If you’re just getting into cycling, there’s a natural tendency to say “I’m gonna give this a shot, but I don’t want to invest a lot of money yet, so I’ll pick up a cheap bike at Target or something”. Almost without fail, people end up sinking more money into those bikes because they start to fall apart faster. My advice is to go to a bike shop instead. Many bike shops have used bike sales, if you’re looking to save money. The nice thing about those bike is that they’ve been tuned up and checked out by professionals, so when you walk out the door you know it’s in great condition. The salespeople will also help you to find a bike that works for you, and ensure that you get the right fit.

LifeBalance: Any closing thoughts?

Matt: If you need more information during the challenge, there’s a ton of it on the Bike More Challenge website! I’d encourage folks to spend time on the site, checking out the great resources that are available.

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We want to give a big thank you to Matt for sitting down to share all of this expert knowledge with us! If you want to find out more about The Street Trust, and its mission to create “communities where people can meet their daily transportation needs through active transportation”, visit their website thestreettrust.org.

If you’re taking part in the Bike More Challenge, or any other National Bike Month event, we’d love to hear from you! Shoot us an email at info@lifebalanceprogram.com or tag us on Facebook or Instagram!