Buffalo Grove employees in bike challenge

Village of Buffalo Grove employees are getting ready to ride bicycles to work next week.

The 12-person staff of the village manager's office is one of about 400 teams signed up to participate in the Bike Commuter Challenge June 11-17, which is meant to encourage people to bike to work.

The event is sponsored by the Active Transportation Alliance, a nonprofit Chicago area organization that advocates for active transport. Active transport is biking, walking or using public transportation. It's a healthy green alternative to driving, the group says.

The Buffalo Grove village manager's office staff will compete against other municipalities who have five to 24 employees in their office.

Planning intern Alex Latitskiy brought the idea to the rest of the staff after he heard about it at a green conference.

“We want people to give it a try,” Latitskiy said. “We're hoping to make it easier for people, so they might do it again.”

For team captain and village manager Dane Bragg, this is an opportunity for the his office to experience the work of the village's Bicycle Committee, which was created last October.

“I think it's important to lead by example,” Bragg said. “It shows commitment when we do what we encourage others to do.”

Bragg lives in Buffalo Grove about 4.5 miles away from the office. He plans to bike to and from work Monday through Friday of next week. While he often rides 12 to 15 miles, Bragg said biking to work seemed challenging at first because he had to figure out how to store his iPad and look presentable once he got to work.

Since the staff lives an average of 14 miles from the office, Latitskiy has arranged for some employees to park at co-worker Susan Levy's home. She lives just over a mile away from the office.

While the event is called a challenge, the title isn't a reference to a competition between all the different teams, but is about employers challenging their staff to ride to work.

“Saving on parking, transit, healthier employees, a good carbon footprint — there's not very much you can say about these things that isn't good,” said Ethan Spotts, marketing and communication director of the Active Transportation Alliance.

Latitskiy is hoping the event will be a fun team-building opportunity for the staff.

Registration for the event is open, but organizers warn that any team that signs up after Friday June 10 won't get their registration kit. Go to activetrans.org to register.