2013 Captain of the Year: Abbo Peterson

Team captains are an important part of making the Commute Challenge presented by Adobe successful. They share the joy of bicycling through encouraging co-workers and friends to join the Commute Challenge and motivate their team members throughout the month. Some offer bribes rewards such as chocolate, homemade pies and brown bag lunches, others challenge their team members to beat a set number of miles or commute percentage. Whatever their methods, every May there are hundreds of amazing captains who go above and beyond the call of duty to make the challenge fun and meaningful for their teammates. We were pleased to receive numerous of Captain of the Year nominations and to read just how special team captains can be. But one team captain especially stood out after receiving an influx of nominations all reading the same name: Abbo Peterson. Abbo Peterson of team REI Annapurna truly embodies the spirit of this challenge with his dedication to get people riding to work year after year, whether he works with them or meets them on the trail. Abbo has organized Bike to Work efforts for several years now, getting the REI Adventures department fired up even before Bike Month. He’s praised for engendering competition while assuring everyone that they can join the challenge, even if they ride just once in the entire month.  And after he helps his colleagues sign up, he’s a constant source of motivation and inspiration. “Abbo sends us daily email updates, sometimes focusing on the team stats but just as often sharing philosophical musings or fun facts to generate conversation/participation among all the team members on an ongoing basis throughout the month,” said one team member.  “He makes Bike-to-Work Month easy and fun, and inspires us every single day!” An active bike commuter himself, Abbo is admired for his dedication to the life style and for fun, safe and easy for others to give biking to work a try. “Here at REI Adventures he has been an inspiration to all!” agreed another team member.  “He is great at keeping up spirits with challenging weather conditions and he leads by example by cycling into the office.” Abbo’s team logged 1334.6 miles in May with a commute rate of 33.4 percent. Abbo himself led the team, logging 385.7 miles for a commute rate of 76.3 percent. Well done, Abbo! And thank you to all captains for being part of the Commute Challenge presented by Adobe and making it the most successful year yet!