MS150 Bike Ride
Bike Fort Collins
Help, please! The National MS Society has had a few of our volunteerteam members drop out of this weekend's event, so now we are truly in need of just a few more bodies to marshal the route for our 1-day, 25 mile bike ride on Saturday, June 26.We have morning or afternoon shifts for a fewhours and could really use your help. Thanks and please call our offices at 482-5017 ASAP to sign-up!Bike MS is a two-day inspirational ride held by National MS Society chapters across the nation each year to raise funds that support programs to enhance the lives of people living with MS as well as fund vital research to help create a world free of MS. Of the funds raised through this event, 83 cents of each dollar is spent on research and local programs; this has paved the way for the development of breakthrough treatments and programs, enabling a more fulfilling and productive life for over 9,500 Coloradans and their families.
The Colorado Chapter of the National MS Society’s Bike MS is Colorado’s oldest nonprofit ride. The 25th Anniversary Great-West Life Bike MS, Colorado’s Ride 2010 presented by Sam’s Club will be held June 26 – 27, 2010, with a goal of raising over $3 million! More than 3,000 cyclists, 600 volunteers, and countless supporters will enjoy majestic Colorado scenery while riding from Front Range Community College in Westminster to Colorado State University in Fort Collins and back, collectively logging over 400,000 miles.
Bike Fort Collins
Sorry for the borderline spam ... but a buddy of mine had a bicycle stolen last night [6/30/10]. Its a Raleigh road bike (a bigger one, 58cm or so), carbon, black and yellow with a white Specialized saddle and silver Ultegra wheels on it. Pretty sure there aren't too many of these in town. If you see it around would you please let me know? Thanks, hope you all are doing well.
Rio Bike Nights ~-7/7 - Brad Tucker is the founder and attorney of ColoBikeLaw.com. Brad is unique in his field, as he is both an avid cyclist and an experienced trial attorney who has focused his practice on insurance and liability law.-7/14 - Dan Burden is an internationally recognized authority on livable and sustainable communities, healthy streets, traffic calming, and bicycle and pedestrian programs. Dan is co-founder and executive director of the non-profit Walkable and Livable Communities Institute located in Port Townsend, Washington.-7/21 - Dom Nozzi is an author, urban planner, and maintains a consulting practice in which he writes and speaks about street design, urban design, & quality of life. His primary skills are in urban design, bicycle planning, transportation choice, and "plain English" land development codes promoting quality of life.-7/28 - Betsy Jacobsen is the State of Colorado Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. Betsy will discuss CDOT's efforts regarding improving biking and walking conditions throughout the state.Plan Fort Collins, Your Group Ride, and the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant to bring you the Rio Bike Nights Guest Speaker Series. For more information contact DK or call 416-2411.The City's FC Bikes program has partnered with
Bike Fort Collins
Dance Party at Bike Prom8:30pm; doors open10:00pm; music by Trichome12:00am; Dj2:30am Ride on to points beyond$5 at the doorProceeds to the Fort Collins Bike LibraryGaudy Dance Attire Requested (Let the freak flag fly)Wear the old prom outfitWith Special Guests TrichomeHosted By Kevin Buecher and Si Siegrist
Women on Bikes is a community-based program for women in the Northern Colorado and Fort Collins area to become acquainted with each other and with the concept of Cycling as Transportation. It is a program designed to empower women to use their bicycles as transportation to commute to work, run errands, shop, or any other activity for which a bicycle could be substituted.
This Community of "Women on Bikes" supports women from all walks of life in overcoming the challenges that bicycle commuting can bring. From carrying kids to carrying stuff, we will work with you to eliminate these obstacles so that riding your bicycle will be easy and fun.
July 14th at 6:00pm at Spring Canyon Community Park (Horsetooth Entrance near Dog Park): Urban Group Ride - A Beginner Friendly ride along bike path streets and hike and bike path ways to become more confident with riding, route planning, and traffic safety. This is a great way to meet other women and get some exercise, too. Beginning at the Spring Canyon Community Park (near the dog park) Horsetooth Entrance.
July 25th at 11:00am at Fort Collins' City Park Covered pavilion area: Lunch, Bike Talk and Be Local Sustainability Ride - We will meet for lunch and talk about a chosen topic on Bike Safety and to discuss some of the challenges and/or successes that women in the group have had when biking around town since our last meeting. Afterward, we will do some route planning by choosing some locations in our Be Local Coupon book guides to visit on our ride.
July 28th at 5:30pm at The Cycologist, 217 Linden St. Fort Collins CO 80524: Fix a Flat Clinic & Sushi Social - Join us at The Cycologist on Linden St. in Old Town Fort Collins for a clinic on Fixing a Flat. Make sure and bring your bicycle for this hands-on clinic so that you will have the confidence when we are finished to fix your own flat when you are out and about. Stick around afterward for some sushi and socializing at Suehiro’s
August 22nd at 11:00am at Backcountry Provisions - Lunch, Bike Talk and "Get to Know Your Bike Shop" bicycle tour around town
September 15th at 6:00 pm at Lee's Cyclery at Laurel and Mason - Clinic, Ride, and Dinner
October 20th at 6:00 pm at Peloton Cyclery on Harmony - Winter Gear Clinic and Women's Night
Bike Fort Collins
~ This Wednesday (7/14) - Dan Burden is an internationally recognized authority on livable and sustainable communities, healthy streets, traffic calming, and bicycle and pedestrian programs. Dan is co-founder and executive director of the non-profit Walkable and Livable Communities Institute located in Port Townsend, Washington. Dan Burden is an internationally recognized authority on livable and sustainable communities, healthy streets, traffic calming, and bicycle and pedestrian programs. Dan is co-founder and executive director of the non-profit Walkable and Livable Communities Institute located in Port Townsend, Washington.
Dan’s efforts to get the world “back on its feet” earned him the first-ever lifetime-achievement award issued by the New Partners for Smart Growth and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. The League of American Bicyclists has named Dan as “one of the 25 most significant leaders in bicycling for the past 100 years.” In 2001, Dan was named by TIME magazine as “one of the six most important civic innovators in the world.” Also that year, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences honored Dan by making him their Distinguished Lecturer.
In 2009, a user’s poll by Planetizen.com named Dan as one of the Top 100 Urban Thinkers of all time. In 2010, Newsweek Magazine (February) and Reader’s Digest (forthcoming) will feature articles that include Dan. Dan has more than 35 years of experience helping create livable communities through a focus on non-motorized transportation. He served for 16 years as the first State Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the Florida Department of Transportation (1980-1996). This program became a model for other statewide programs in the United States. Dan co-founded Walkable Communities in 1996. Since then, he has helped 2,700 communities throughout the world become more livable and walkable.
Dan started the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute to assist cities throughout the world in becoming more walkable, bicycle friendly, sustainable, socially engaged, and welcoming places by improving the built form. Through on-site assessments, independent expert review of projects, workshops, webinars, lectures and conferences, Dan engages planners, designers, and leaders to successfully rebuild blocks, neighborhoods, towns, and regions.
Jeff Morrell
Volunteer with Bike Fort Collins for the beginning part of the Tour de Fat and get:
- a 2010 Tour de Fat t-shirt,- 2 beer tokens for the post parade fun, and- the satisfaction in the knowledge that your help furthers Bike Fort Collins' mission.- never ending gratitude from Bike Fort Collins.- Oh, yeah, a chance to win a sweet Schwinn Phantom bicycle (men's or women's frame, your choice).
Here's the 411 on what we need from you ...
- just 2.5 hours of your time at the beginning of the parade- arrive at the New Belgium parking lot Saturday morning, Sept. 4 at 8:00 for final orientation/details- liability waiver gatherers will walk through the parade riders and gather liability waiver signatures, smile, ask for a $5 suggested donation to Bike Fort Collins, and marvel at all the whimsical and crazy costumes.- route marshals will be posted at strategic locations along the route to make this event a safe one.- enjoy the ride
If you haven't already done so, PLEASE sign up to help ...
> visit our web site at BFC Web Site:
http://www.bikefortcollins.org/clubportal/ClubStatic.cfm?clubID=1895&pubmenuoptID=22930
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2010-TdF
----OR———>
direct email to volu...@bikefortcollins.org with your name, age and phone number.
We will contact you after you sign up to give more details.
Come one, come all. Step right up and don’t be shy to ask your friends, neighbors, family, and strangers to step up and be part of the good time that's called the Tour de Fat!
Jeff Morrell
Author David Herlihy will discuss and present images from his latest book, The Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance. This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so please arrive early.Book Description:In the late 1880s, Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned high-wheel racer and long-distance tourist, dreamed of cycling around the world. He finally got his chance by recasting himself as a champion of the downsized "safety-bicycle" with inflatable tires, the forerunner of the modern road bike that was about to become wildly popular. In the spring of 1892 he quit his accounting job and gamely set out west to cover twenty thousand miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine. Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and unimaginable hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg. He never made it. His mysterious disappearance in eastern Turkey sparked an international outcry and compelled Outing to send William Sachtleben, another larger-than-life cyclist, on Lenz's trail. Bringing to light a wealth of information, Herlihy's gripping narrative captures the soaring joys and constant dangers accompanying the bicycle adventurer in the days before paved roads and automobiles. This untold story culminates with Sachtleben's heroic effort to bring Lenz's accused murderers to justice, even as troubled Turkey teetered on the edge of collapse.
Jeff Morrell, BFC
Jeff Morrell, BFC
Community Pulls Together to Encourage Year Round Cycling: Bike Winter Fort Collins
The 2010 Bike Winter Fort Collins campaign begins the first week in December. Over fifty, local business sponsors have joined the City’s effort to promote year round cycling in Fort Collins. Here’s the event line up for 2010:
Friday, December 3 - Light Up the Night: 6 – 8 p.m. at the Gallery Underground (First Friday Art Walk). Bring your old Knog lights for battery replacements and get new lights if you don’t already lights. Ride with lights at night!
Sunday, December 5 - Winter Cycling 101: 2 – 5 p.m. at the Gardens on Spring Creek. This winter riding clinic includes information and tips on how to safely ride in traffic with snow and ice conditions. Learn also about proper clothing and equipment for winter weather riding. RSVP at 224-6112 or FCB...@fcgov.com
Wednesday, December 8 - FC Bikes Lunch Talk: 12 – 1 p.m. at Home State Bank on Mountain Avenue. Join the City’s Bicycle Coordinator as we discuss and strategize future FC Bikes activities and bicycle priorities in Fort Collins. Contribute to the vision of FC Bikes!
Wednesday, December 15 - Winter Bike to Work Day: includes 20 breakfast stations in Fort Collins and over fifty business sponsors. Check out the Winter Bike to Work Day map at fcgov.com/bicycling
Winter Riding Resources:
1) Check out priority snow removal routes for cyclists: fcgov.com/weknowsnow
2) Report hazards such as snow, ice, and debris in bike lanes and bike trails: fcgov.com/pothole
Top Ten Important Winter Cycling Tips:• Be careful of low angle sun during winter as cars may not be able to see you.• Wear bright, visible clothing and obey all road rules. Ride defensively at all times and do not assume that vehicles see you.• When riding at night, ride with front and rear lights.• Always wear your helmet. You may need to change the sizing pads in your helmet or remove them entirely to fit your winter headgear. Some hats are made specifically to fit under helmets. Try taping over the vents in your helmet if your head gets too cold.• Take extreme caution of slick train tracks during wet, winter weather. Slow your speed and cross at a 90 degree angle (straight across).• Wide tires with widely separated knobs work best on snow. Studded tires improve traction on ice. Use low pressure: start with 15-20 psi and experiment for yourself.• Try to pedal smoothly and relax your upper body, especially on ice and soft snow. When the bike starts going sideways, make small corrections rather than over steering and weaving down the road.• Cycling generates a lot of heat so clothes that are warm and comfortable have to control the buildup of heat and moisture as well as insulate and protect from wind. If you can dress properly to go ski, you can dress to winter bike!• If you're riding in a headwind or falling snow you'll find eye protection very helpful.• Store your bicycle indoors to protect it from the elements. Plus, you'll find that a warm saddle is more enjoyable to ride in the morning.
Bike Fort Collins
"Lee's Cyclery, The Phoenix Cyclery, Breakaway Cycles and the Trek Bicycle Store are collecting new and used children's bicycles for the annual Realities for Children's Bikes for Tykes distribution. Sponsored by Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, individuals are asked to donate their new or used bicycles to any one of our participating bike shops where they will be safety-checked for safe riding and repaired."
Jeff Morrell, BFC
Dear Jeff,
Thanks again for signing the Peopleforbikes.org pledge in support of safer and better bicycling. You and 180,000 other Americans are powering this important movement.
Now, as the campaign enters phase 2, we need your help. We need you to send a short email today to your U.S. Representative that affirms your interest in safe and convenient bicycling, and asks your member of Congress to support ongoing funding for bike projects and crucial programs such as Safe Routes to School.
We are sorry to report that some members of Congress, particularly in the House of Representatives, want to dramatically (and disproportionally) cut the cost-effective federal investment in bicycling projects and programs, like bike paths, bike lanes, trails, and more. They simply don’t know (or overlook) these facts:
- Bicycling and walking are essential to our communities.
- Federal transportation investments that support these activities boost our economy, help individuals and government agencies save money, and directly address key societal challenges such as obesity and road congestion.
- Biking and walking currently total 12% of the trips that Americans make but cost just 1.5% of our transportation spending. That’s the type of cost effectiveness we need now!
We’ve gathered lots of statistics and case studies that back these key points. You can read them here.
In the next two months, Congress will make important decisions that will not only affect the future of bicycling, but possibly your own hometown bike riding experiences. That’s why we need you to send a short note now to your U.S. Representative.
You can find your representative and send your note directly from our website. Click here to review clear, basic, suggested text for your email. Feel free to customize it and/or add a short personal story.
Meanwhile, whatever the weather, we hope that you continue to bike, enjoy every ride, and reap all the benefits.
Thanks so much for your continuing interest and support.
Tim Blumenthal
Director, Peopleforbikes.org