'Alternative Commuter Challenge' Opens Field

An annual race between bicyclists, train riders and electric car drivers is set to kick off at a Main Street coffee shop in Madison this month and the public is invited to join in.

Marty’s Reliable Cycle and TransOptions have scheduled the Third Annual Alternative Commuter Challenge for May 23. Bikes will challenge cars and mass transit in a race from Drip Coffee to the Morristown Hyatt.

The modes of transportation include:

• Two road bicycles ridden by Marty Epstein, owner of Marty’s Reliable Cycle, and Bill Ruddick, executive director of Gran Fondo NJ;
• An electric bicycle operated by Eric Noonan, service manager at Marty’s Reliable Cycle;
• New Jersey Transit Train and a Dahon Folding Bike used by Matthew Vance, a Morristown attorney;
• New Jersey Transit Train and a road bicycle being stored in a NJ Transit Bike Locker;
• And a Prius Plug-In electric automobile supplied by Toyota of Morristown.

In 2011, Vance won through the NJ Transit and his Dahon-brand folding bicycle and, in 2012, No. 1 was plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius from Toyota of Morristown

The event kicks off at Drip Coffee at 34 Main Street, Madison. Here's a look at how the day will go:

• 8 - 8:30 a.m.: Participants and the public will gather
• 8:40 a.m. Race starts
• Transit riders will use the Madison Train Station, taking the 8:49 a.m. train
• 8:57 a.m.—the time the train will arrive in Morristown.
• All other participants will be heading for the finish line, located at the front door of the Hyatt Morristown on Speedwell Avenue in Morristown using public streets or the traction line. All safety and traffic laws are to be obeyed.

The commuter challenge is designed promote and highlight alternative transportation options. To join the commuter race with an alternative mode of your choosing, call Marty Epstein, owner of Marty’s Reliable Cycle at 973-584-7773. For more information call Epstein or Don Watt, vice president of TransOptions, at 973-267-7600.