May 7th kicks off a competition that can improve your health and reduce your carbon footprint.

The Bike Commuter Challenge encourages businesses in Bozeman to sign up employees to bike to work from May 7th to May 17th.

"This year we organize a commuter challenge and so it's a friendly competition between businesses to try to encourage more people to just try out biking. People who maybe aren't already avid bike commuters, you know, people who have kids and maybe want to drop their kids at the daycare and then ride their bikes from there," said Rebecca Gleason of the Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board.

Cyclists can win prizes.

"People who participate, even if they just bike for one day, can win prizes. Everybody's name gets put into a raffle and we have some prizes as well," Gleason said.

Prizes include a bike, a rafting trip and gift cards to local restaurants.

Gleason says that biking can improve your health and cut down on emissions, and even riding your day just once a week to work can cut your commuting costs by 20%.

"Most of us have really sedentary jobs and sit at our desks all day and our computers and on our iPhones and just a little bit of physical activity everyday , walking or biking to work, can make a huge difference in your health and your outlook on life and your weight," she said.

To learn more about the Bike Commuter Challenge or to sign up a team, you can visit their website by clicking here.