Twenty-eight cyclists who didn’t know any better showed up for BikeDenver’s Winter Solstice Ride on the night of Dec. 21. Temperatures as high as 4 degrees Fahrenheit were observed during the ride, a scenic route from City Park to The Irish Snug via Cheesman Park.

Thirty items were collected to be donated to Denver’s Road Home and the Denver Street Outreach Collaboration, so they can be distributed on the street directly to homeless persons via DSOC’s 20 outreach workers.

The 2009 Summer Solstice will fall on June 21, when the historical average high temperature in Denver is 85 degrees. Anyone interested in a Summer Solstice ride?

Bike Denver has scheduled to hold its first official League of American Bicyclists bike education course in January. A pilot program called Smart Cycling: Traffic Skills 101 will be held in downtown Denver in Webb Building 4.I.5 in early January. It will be a nine-hour course spread over 3 weekly sessions. Here is the pertinent information:

Dates: Jan. 7, 14 & 21 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Note: the complete course is comprised of 4 hours of classroom instruction and 5 hours of bicycle instruction.

Cost: $30

Location: Webb Building Room 4.I.5

Topics Covered:
• Traffic principles
• Colorado bicycle laws
• Practical aspects of vehicular cycling
• Safe roadway positioning
• Bicycle maintenance
• Emergency bicycling maneuvers

Special Notes:
• Students must be 16 years of age (13 with parent)
• Students must have headlight, taillight and helmet
• Course is designed for novice and experienced cyclists
• Class is limited to 30 students: first come first served

For more information or to register contact:
Eric Bunch
(573)701-2492
bunche@gmail.com

Please make checks out to BikeDenver and mail payment to:

BikeDenver
1536 Wynkoop Street
Suite 801
Denver, CO 80202

Additionally BikeDenver will hosting an LCI seminar in the Spring of 2008 to train more instructors. Those interested in either the pilot class in January or the LCI seminar in the Spring should contact Eric Bunch at 573.701.2492 or bunche@gmail.com for more information.

In this story, we are told what we already knew:

Bicycling for transit will help you lose weight and keep weight off
In societies where bicycling is a large portion of transit, they have low obesity rates
The sedentary lifestyles of most Americans lead to poor health
American’s preference for automobiles over biking and walking is making us fat and unhealthy
If this isn’t a mandate to improve access and safety for bike routes and pedestrian routes, I don’t know what is. But here’s one final thought worth bullet pointing:

If present trends continue, the young generations of today will be the first in history to lead shorter, less healthy lives than their parents.

In the December 2008 BikeDenver Newsletter you will find:

• Overview of Denver Urban Bicycle Transportation System (DUBTS)
• New rides planned: Dec. 21 and Jan. 23
• Freewheel!n Recap
• Coming: Smart cycling classes
• New Belgium’s Tour de Fat Recap

Download the December 2008 BikeDenver Newsletter

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