'One Less Car'

The One Less Car competition, a new initiative to get Whitefish workers to commute to work on two wheels rather than four, came about innocently enough.

The idea was to keep workers’ cars off the street, creating valuable parking spaces for tourists cruising through town.

Two groups of competitors were created, one for businesses with 10 or fewer employees and one for businesses with more than 10 staffers.

For fairness to businesses with a heavy concentration of nearby residents, two categories set up: the first to award the business that logged the most miles, the second to award the business that reduced the most number of car trips per month.

Tracked on the honor system, businesses submit their mile logs at the end of each month and the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce tallies them up.

“My primary motive was to reduce the number of cars,” said Glacier Cyclery owner and event organizer Ron Brunk.

But as with many challenges, the competition is heating up and things ... well, could get ugly.

The trouble perhaps started with Brunk’s cool confidence in his team. Of the 11 employees at Glacier Cyclery, 10 routinely commute on bikes. With some of the best knowledge on biking in the valley, they’ve got a pedal down on the competition.

Brunk just assumed his team would run away with the challenge, so he added a stipulation that if his team took first place, it would give the prize to the business that took second.

Reed Gregerson, president of the ZaneRay Group, laughs at that.

“We’re going to kill them!” he said in jest. At least eight of his 15 employees are participating on a daily basis, one traveling all the way from Eureka. Gregerson himself logs 46 miles roundtrip from his home in Kila.

“We’re a dual threat to people around here,” he said.

Despite the spirited banter, though, the competition is fast accomplishing its goal of keeping workers off the streets.

Gregerson said the challenge has inspired him to ride to work even in the rain. On days when he’s feeling lazy, he will take the commuter bus from Kalispell one-way to Whitefish and ride the other, so he’ll still get some miles in and keep his car in the garage.

Gregerson always has been a biker. He says commuting offers him a way to avoid the gym and keep a little of that gas money in his pocket.

“For me it’s largely about saving some money and saving the Earth,” he said.

Montana Coffee Traders is a co-sponsor with Glacier Cyclery and is providing coupons to participants to keep their energy up after the morning ride.

“It’s really fun to be able to participate,” said Barb Brant, communications director for the local coffee chain.

Coffee Traders hosted a similar program last year in house, so Brant said the decision to join with Glacier Cyclery was an easy one to make.

She said most of her employees like biking anyway, and this gives them a way to have a little fun with it — and to compete with their patrons as well. At least 20 Coffee Traders employees are participating.

Brant said the rain discouraged a few in the beginning but she does have some “hardy souls” that have soldiered through.

Gregerson sees the weather as one more strength for his team. A little rain? Who cares, he said.

He’s so dedicated, he slaps on studded tires and rides to work in the winter as well.

“People think I’m a nut case,” he said with a laugh.

It’s people like Gregerson who helped contribute to the idea for the contest, Brunk said.

“It’s our lifestyle. These guys aren’t just commuting because there’s a prize.”

He just hopes those who are less inclined to bike get involved as well.

“There’s a lot of people who drive to work because it’s the easiest, who could commute,” he said. “It doesn’t take much equipment to commute, you just have to plan ahead.”

The One Less Car competition runs through September. To access the spreadsheet and participate in the program, visit:

 http://whitefishchamber.org/pdf_files/ONE_LESS_CAR,_10_OR_LESS.XLS or http://whitefishchamber.org/pdf_files/ONE_LESS_CAR,_MORE_THAN_10_EMPLOYEES.XLS