Cruisin' classics — Ride Blue Bikes along Provo-Jordan River Parkway

As summer winds down, temperatures start their merciful decline and fall colors are just around the corner, it seems like the perfect time to hop on a bike and explore the Provo-Jordan River Parkway Trail.

You don't have a bike? No problem. There's somewhere you can get one for free.

As of Aug. 6, 20 new Trek Cruiser Classic bicycles are available for free use. The bikes come to the Wasatch Front as part of the Dasani Blue Bikes program.

Dasani, a bottled-water company, aims to encourage people to live healthier lifestyles, and its support of outdoor trails is a major part of that, brand manager Sabrina Gatlin said.

"The idea was kind of born out of, for one, Dasani's interest in . . . bicycling as a way of being healthy and active," Gatlin said. "Rather than just saying, 'Yes, we're a bottled water, and we're about health and want you to be healthy,' we want to give the tools to help people be healthy and live the brand message."

So the Dasani Blue Bikes program was created, with the help of a partnership with Trek bicycles, which donated the more than 150 Blue Bikes being used at trails across the country.

Utahns who want to use the bikes must register for a Blue Bikes card at Provo's Utah Valley Regional Medical Center or the Provo City Center. The bikes can then be picked up from special storage lockers at either of those sites. Riders swipe their cards and pick up a bike, then return it to the locker when they are done.

Gatlin said the lockers track cards so that if a bike is not returned, organizers will know who last checked it out.

She said different trail systems will manage the program differently, including specifics on how cards will be managed. Jim Price, trails coordinator for the Mountainland Association of Governments, said the details are still being ironed out, so he's not sure yet how the cards will be handled.

Some trails treat the cards like library cards, with residents reusing their Blue Bikes card any time they want to go out. Other systems have riders check out a card when they want to ride and then return it after returning the bike.

Price said once the specifics are finalized, residents can get the details at www.mountainland.org. More information on the program can also be found by calling (801) 229-3848.