Since 1956, the League of American Bicyclists (formerly the League of American Wheelmen), has been promoting May as National Bike Month, and states, communities, businesses and organizations have used the annual proclamation to encourage more people to ride bikes. The focus of the event is Bike to Work Week, the third week in May, which culminates in Bike to Work Day, the third Friday in May.

Moab Mayor Dave Sakrison said the city will continue to observe Bike Month this year. “We’re trying to encourage as much alternative transportation as possible,” he said. “It promotes everything from a better community to a healthier environment.”

Last year the city held a bicycle commuting contest for staff during Bike to Work Week, handing out prizes for the most days commuted and the most miles traveled. Moab Community Development Director David Olsen, a regular bike commuter, rode the most days, while Moab City Manager Donna Metzler, who usually commutes by car, covered the most miles.

The differences between the two winners exemplifes the difficulties Bike Month supporters face in creating enthusiastic bicycle commuters. As Olsen noted, he lost the mileage aspect of the contest because he lives close to work, in the city, while Metzler lives farther out in the valley. That’s also why the city manager still commutes by car.

“With kids past the age where you can put them in a trailer, and with late-night meetings leaving me commuting in the dark, there were some challenges,” Metzler said. “I wish it was more convenient for me.”

Some have suggested that a bike path throughout Spanish Valley would mitigate those challenges, but Metzler said the road provided the most convenient route. “I timed myself, and my fastest time into town from near Old City Park was 12 minutes. You need to be on the road to go that fast,” she said.

In addition to the city’s effort to promote Bike to Work Week, two local businesses are working together to encourage bicycle commuting. Moab Immediate Care physician Dr. Donald Marquardt is a devoted bicycle commuter, and after an informal, social meeting with Chile Pepper Bike Shop owners Ryon and Tracy Reed, he decided to help with the advocacy effort.

“I see people coming in the doors with all sorts of symptoms that could be helped by bicycle commuting,” Marquardt said. “Hypertension, heart attack, even diabetes can be regulated through exercise.”

The doctor is enough of a believer to build his life around how he gets around. “One of my criteria for where I live is the ability to commute to work by bicycle,” he said. While that brings him personal satisfaction, he sees a broader potential. “I think if people take up commuting by bicycle, they will be happier, and I will be happier. Plus, I won’t be breathing as much exhaust on my way to work,” Marquardt said.

Tracy Reed also believes an increase in bicycle commuters would improve the general mood. “It’s hard to put into words; I’d just love to see more people on bikes during my commute in the morning,” she said.

So Chile Pepper and Moab Immediate Care are co-sponsoring a Bike to Work initiative that will begin during Bike Month and run through tax day, April 15, 2009. They’ll ask bike commuters to sign a pledge to commit to commuting by bicycle at least one day a week through that period.

In exchange, they’ll offer riders an “I rode my bike to work today” t-shirt for $11. The small profit from the shirt will go to Trail Mix, Grand County’s non-motorized trail committee. Participants will also get three tune-ups for their commuter bikes during the period, and the bike commuter who logs in the most days will win a commuter bicycle.

Barring any bureaucratic complications, Reed plans to host a bike commuter aid station, with light breakfast, in front of the Moab Information Center from 7 to 9 a.m. on May 16, Bike to Work Day, where riders can sign up for the commuter challenge. Participants can also sign up at Chile Pepper Bike Shop.

The duration of the Chile Pepper contest is intended to carry the Bike Month momentum through the year, and Marquardt has provided longer-term incentive in the form of some simple statistics. He shows how a 150-pound rider, commuting just two miles a day, would burn 84 calories, leading to a 12-pound weight loss over the course of a year.

With a nod to the old saying that you can’t be too thin or to rich, he also calculated the amount of gas money a cyclist can save over driving, as well as automotive wear and tear. Using an IRS estimate that driving costs about 50 cents a mile (the American Automobile Association estimate is even higher), Marquardt figures a driver could save $528 a year – and a county-wide effort could save millions.

Bike to Work Week is more of a suggestion than a program; the LAB encourages individual employers, whether government or business, devise plans like Moab city or Chile Pepper/Moab Immediate Care to encourage riding. Locally, Moab Cyclery will offer incentives to its employees.

Poison Spider Bicycles enters – and wins – an annual, national contest sponsored by Specialized Bicycles that charts employee participation. Poison Spider has topped the list each year with 100 percent compliance. That’s partly due the shop’s long-term policy of paying employees a dollar a day to commute by bike.

Ironically, that’s part of the difficulty for the LAB in getting bicycle enthusiasts behind the initiative. As Moab Cyclery mechanic Tyson Swasey said upon hearing Bike to Work day was approaching, “Isn’t every day Bike to Work Day?”

Local bike industry workers are not qualified for the Chile Pepper challenge.