Commute Challenge corner: Start or join a league

According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, 2013 is the year of the snake. According to ancient Commute Challenge astrology, 2013 is the year of the league.

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Leagues are one of the most awesome and underrated features of the Commute Challenge. We'll debunk leagues with a little Q and A below.

What the heck is a league, and why would I want to join one?

Leagues provide a simple, easy way for teams to group themselves by industry, geography, or some other category, and see each others stats in one place. Connect with other people in your industry or neighborhood and challenge yourself to outride other league members in your own customized sub-Challenge.

The sky is the limit for your league. Start an intra-league contest, use the message board to organize a happy hour, talk some trash, or discuss commuting tips.

Okay, so how do I join a league? 

Team captains can create leagues and join their team to one or more leagues. Visit the leagues page to see if any leagues are relevant to you, and join one! All federal employees are encouraged to join the Federal Bike-to-Work Challenge league and ride alongside teams from teams from all over the country, including the White House! All downtown Seattle teams are invited to join the Downtown Seattle league and ride for a chance to win a free pizza party, courtesy of Commute Seattle.

Do leagues have special prizes or events?

Members of a league can create league-specific incentives, contests, or events for members. Plan a happy hour for members of your neighborhood league, offer a pizza party for the team with the most trips, or organize a bike buddy system. The sky is the limit!

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Can I communicate with other league members?

Yes! Any league members can post in league message boards at the bottom each league page.

Other cool features of the Commute Challenge you never knew existed

• Message boards: make an announcement, schedule a happy hour, or start a conversation on the message boards at the bottom of each team or league page.
• Social media features on the trip log page: Now you can LIKE bicycling even more by posting on Facebook and Twitter!
• Challenge another rider or another team
• Add Bike Month events from the trip log calendar to your personal calendar simply and easily. Heck, why now view and add the whole Bike Month calendar to your personal calendar?