The new “Yosemite Bike Thing” rental project is up and running courtesy of Yosemite National Park’s Employee Recreation Department, which is operated by Delaware North Parks & Resorts, and the program’s manager, Emily Brosk.
As of June 2014, over 40 associates at Yosemite National Park have been rolling around the Park on their “Bike Thing” bikes. These employees use the bikes as a means to get to work, but also to explore the park and make the most of their time in Yosemite during the summer season.
The program has been met with enthusiasm, as it facilitates a timely workforce and greater enjoyment of the park while at the same time encouraging a healthy lifestyle, alleviating traffic congestion in Yosemite Valley, and saving gently-used bikes from the salvage yard. In this inaugural year, each bike was assigned to an employee.
DNC Yosemite Employee Kevin Frye tunes up a bike.
Over 40 cruiser-style bicycles were ‘retired’ from Guest Recreation, due to meeting their maximum service hours, and refurbished by Delaware North bike mechanics before being equipped with a lock and transferred to the Wellness Center where they were assigned to associates. Each bike was custom-fit to the associate in order to maximize their riding enjoyment. Interested associates only had to make a $75.00 security deposit, which will be fully refunded upon returning the bicycle at the conclusion of the season.
As more bikes are retired from Guest Recreation on an annual basis, they will likewise be refurbished and tuned up before being be moved into the employee rental inventory to enable additional Yosemite associates to discover the Valley.
The project was made possible through the close collaboration of many departments within Yosemite. As Brosk stated, “It took a partnership between employee recreation, the green team, accounting, the bike rental mechanics, and recycling to reach this historic milestone. I believe people in Yosemite have been looking for a program like this since the invention of bicycles and pavement in the Park!”
Did you know that you can lower your risk of cancer and heart disease, think more creatively, improve your performance at work, bring some sunshine to your mood, and even boost your metabolism all just by adding some biking or cycling to your weekly routine? It’s a great low-impact way to add some cardiovascular exercise to your lifestyle while exploring the places where you live and work! Learn even more interesting reasons why you should take up biking here.
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