Fort Collins Bike to Work Day is Wednesday, but Ben Shepard has already pedaled more than 700 miles this month as part of a company-wide challenge.
Shepard, a 3-D animator for Neenan Archistruction in Fort Collins, pledged to commute by bike from Longmont, a 70-mile round trip, every day this month.
“The weeks coming up to-ward Bike Month, I would do it like one day, then I’d have to recover for three days after-ward,” Shepard said. “It’s finally gotten to the point where I’m still adapting, but every day I’m getting stronger.”
This is the second year Neenan has sponsored a company challenge encouraging employees to ride their bikes to work daily in June. In 2009, the company pedaled a cumulative 1,600 miles.
Meanwhile, Fort Collins is gearing up to set a new record of cycling commuters on Bike to Work Day on Wednesday. Upward of 6,000 cyclists are expected to ride to work, said Dave “DK” Kemp, bicycle coordinator for Fort Collins. More than 50 breakfast stations will be set up throughout the city to fuel the riders and offer bike assistance and advice.
“Really, the purpose is to celebrate our local bicycle culture,” Kemp said. “We really want to emphasize bicycling as a viable form of transportation.”
Business owner Suzanne Akin isn’t letting the fact that she works from home stop her from participating in Bike to Work Day.
Akin has pledged to deliver by bike orders to her online clothing and accessories web-site, www.akinz.com on Wednesday.
She also created a T-shirt for the event and will donate $2 for each Commuter T purchase to the Fort Collins Bike Co-op. The bike logo shirts can be purchased online any time or from Akin Wednesday at the Toolbox Creative breakfast station at 325 Cherry St.
“I just thought it would be a really fun idea, since I ride my bike everywhere anyway,” Akin said. “I grew up in Houston and hardly anyone rides their bikes there. Being able to ride my bike everywhere here is amazing,” she said.
Shepard’s inspiration to pedal from Longmont every day was to help rehab an injury he suffered to his left ACL in January.
“I had surgery in February and I’ve been recovering ever since,” Shepard said. “They said that cycling is the best thing I could do to get my strength back, so I decided to do this,” he said.
Outside of the “crazy weather days,” Shepard said his route is a pretty straight-forward commute.
“Except when the road’s wet,” he added. “I had to get fenders to keep the water from spraying up my back all the time.”
In addition to Bike to Work Day, there are a number of bicycling events this week, including a race Tuesday at the city streets department, 625 9th St. and the Downtown Bike Show Thursday and Friday.