(Credit Denver Post - Annette Espinoza: 303-954-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com ) A student-run bike library at the University of Denver opened Thursday, seven months ahead of the Denver bike-sharing initiative that inspired it.

Nearly two years ago, DU students, intrigued by Denver Bike Share’s plan to build kiosks across the city and lend two-wheelers to anyone who wants to ride, decided they’d like to have a bike library on campus.

So they launched a student campaign and eventually partnered with the city of Denver and Denver Bike Share to build the DU Bike Library.

Thursday afternoon, Joshua Jackson Robinson rolled around the campus on one of the 20 bikes now available for students and faculty to use for free.

“It’s going to help make Denver more environmentally friendly, and I’ll get an extra 15 minutes of sleep,” joked Robinson, a DU senior who checked out the pearl-white bike between classes.

On Thursday, more than 70 DU students gathered outside of Nagel Hall to learn about the bike library and watch DU provost Gregg Kvistad take a spin.

“Student activism produces results, and we try not to put roadblocks on positive things,” Kvistad said.

The DU Bike Library also gives a glimpse of what Denver Bike Share’s program might look like when it launches next year on Earth Day, with 600 bicycles available for rent at 50 kiosks throughout the city.

Riders will be able to rent the bikes in 30-minute increments, although the first half-hour is free. Yearly memberships will be available. A three-hour ride will cost $14.

“We encourage short-term use,” said Parry Burnap, director of the Denver Bike Initiative.

The city’s bike-sharing program also will have online components, allowing riders to track their mileage, get carbon-emission reduction information and count the number of calories burned on each ride.

“Denver’s got a really healthy population. It’s sunny, flat and easy to navigate,” Burnap said. “It’s perfect for getting around on a bike.”

Annette Espinoza: 303-954-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com

How it works

The DU Bike Library has 10 bikes parked at each of two kiosks near Nagel and Centennial residence halls.

The bikes can be checked out for free until 7 p.m. daily to students and faculty who show a valid DU ID card.

The bikes have built-in locks with keys and sturdy metal baskets that can hold up to 25 pounds.

Red brake lights are solar-powered, and bicycle helmets will be offered to riders.

Clif Bar and BikeDenver are pleased to honor the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District (BID) as September’s Bicycle Friendly Business of the Month. The Bicycle Friendly Business of the Month recognition program, launched in July, 2009, builds upon the initial success of BikeDenver’s Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) Program in recognizing businesses, organizations and workplaces that are leading the way to make bicycling an easy and accepted form of transportation in Denver. Since partnering in July to launch the awards program, Clif Bar and BikeDenver have recognized Watercourse Restaurant and Historic Denver’s Story Trek.

September honoree Downtown Denver Business Improvement District (BID) committed $50,000 to install new bike parking facilities downtown, including 100 new bicycle “U” racks throughout the Central Business District and Lower Downtown and the launch of a matching grants awards program for property owners interested in installing new bike parking facilities or expanding existing facilities.

“We strongly encourage bicyclists to utilize this mode of transportation throughout Downtown,” said Tami Door, President & CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “Our surveys show that roughly 6% of the Downtown workforce consistently commutes by bicycle—and we are confident this numbercan expand with the right infrastructure investments.”

The Downtown Denver Business Improvement District (BID) is a public organization funded by private commercial property owners. It strives to provide a clean, safe and vibrant Downtown environment for workers, residents and visitors. Through their annual assessments to this quasi-governmental entity, BID property owners fund a series of district-wide programs that enhance Downtown Denver, including cleaning and maintenance efforts, safety initiatives and targeted visitor marketing. The BID is an independent organization that contracts with the Downtown Denver Partnership to manage its work
program.

The Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc. is a non-profit business organization that creatively plans, manages and develops Downtown Denver as the unique, diverse, vibrant and economically healthy urban core of the Rocky Mountain region. For more information, visit www.downtowndenver.com.

What: BikeDenver’s Autumnal Equinox Ride is a casual, safe, ride for Denver cyclists. Come join us to celebrate the onset of FALL! We will ride from City Park’s Thatcher Fountain to Scruffy Murphy’s Irish Pub at 2030 Larimer. You’ll still have time to cruise over to Salvagetti at 8pm to see some great bicycle film shorts (6 minutes films) in the parking lot by Salvagetti’s new digs at 1611 Platte Street.

When: September 22, 6pm Ride, 7pm Social, Bike Film Shorts start at 8pm at Salvagetti.

Where: Start at City Park… End at Scruffy Murphy’s. Meet 6:00pm at Thatcher Fountain, just North of East High School, at 17th Ave. & Esplanade. We’ll have directions to Salvagetti if you want to cycle over for the film shorts.

How: On your bike, dressed as you like. Helmets strongly suggested. Front and rear lights are required by the City for night riding. We ride safely and legally. Secure bike parking will be provided at Scruffy Murphy’s. Enjoy the Happy Hour pricing they’ll be extending for us!

Why: Because FALL is a great time to ride your bike in Denver! At the autumnal equinox (Sept 22, 2009; 5:18 P.M. EDT), the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, this marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

About BikeDenver: BikeDenver is Denver’s bicycle advocacy organization. We’ve been promoting and encouraging bicycling in Denver since 2001. We’re working to make Denver a better place to ride your bike! www.bikedenver.org

About Scruffy Murphy’s: Scruffy Murphy’s opened in 2005 in the up-and-coming Ballpark neighborhood. You’ll love this traditional Irish Pub with a cozy atmosphere and friendly staff. www.scruffymurphysdenver.com

Here are two videos I shot at Denver’s Tour de Fat on Saturday. My personal favorite is probably the shoe bike.

This October 2-4, the Alliance for Biking and Walking is partnering with BikeDenver, and other local Alliance organizations, to bring their signature Winning Campaigns Training to Denver, CO.  Join your fellow bicycle and pedestrian advocacy leaders to learn from expert coaches and each other through the Alliance’s proven curriculum on choosing, directing, and winning campaigns to increase bicycling and walking. After three days, you will have a detailed campaign blueprint that will assure a victorious campaign and set up your organization for greater victories in the future. Registration includes all meals during the training and a chance to network with other local advocates in the area, as well as an opportunity to see some of Denver’s latest innovations.

Early registration ends September 20th.  For details and to register please visit www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org

(Courtesy New Belgium Brewing) Bike Antics, Sustainable Goodness and Philanthropic Fun will be on display at City Park as New Belgium brings their 100th Tour de Fat event to Denver. Don’t be late for the Bike Parade at 10am! Click here for the full schedule.

This year, the traveling circus is also celebrating a decade of honoring mankind’s greatest invention - the bike. Opening the show with a costumed parade, Tour de Fat celebrates the power of the bicycle by encouraging everyone to embrace their inner-cyclist and ride the streets as a rolling carnival of creativity.

Born in Ft. Collins, Colorado to increase awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation, Tour de Fat has grown into a national rite of passage for cycling advocates and bon vivants alike. Visit newbelgium.com to view schedules, videos and much more.

The celebration features the inspirational car-for-bike swapper series video here, in which one brave soul from each city hands over car keys as a commitment to commute by bike. As part of the program, the volunteer will sign over his or her car title and receive a hand-built Black Sheep commuter bike in exchange. The volunteer is chosen after submitting a video or essay describing their desire to live car-free for a year. For more information, log on to newbelgium.com. We are still seeking a car-for-bike swapper in Denver!

“The car-for-bike program is what gives Tour de Fat its deeper meaning as people make a life-changing commitment,” said New Belgium Spokes Person Bryan Simpson. “Anyone is welcome to be a swapper - whether you’re an avid cyclist or just starting to rekindle your love for the bike. We can’t wait to meet more good people willing to forgo four wheels for two.”

Tour de Fat is free to participants, but beer and merchandise proceeds from Denver stop will go to Bike Denver, Flight For Life and The Derailer Bicycle Collective. Sustainable support is being offered by Alliance For Sustainable Colorado. The philanthropic cycling circus helped 24 non-profit organizations in 2008 and raised more than $250,000, pushing Tour de Fat’s grand total for charitable giving to more than $1 million.

“Get the faith, keep the faith or just celebrate all things bike. Celebrate the existence of New Belgium suds knowing that this annual event will help BikeDenver promote and grow cycling in Denver for another year,” said Gary Rossmiller, President of BikeDenver.

“The Tour De Fat is the most community- and family-oriented beer festival we have ever encountered…and with a divine collection of crazy bikes and costumes, to boot! The Tour de Fat has supported the Derailer Bicycle Collective–a free bicycle resource in Denver–through our two busiest summers, yet, and we can’t thank you enough!” exclaimed the folks at the Derailer Bicycle collective.

“Flight For Life Colorado feels so fortunate to be a beneficiary of this incredible, quirky, philanthropic bicycle and beer event for a fifth consecutive year! We are proud to partner with New Belgium Brewery, and always look forward to the Tour de Fat,” added Megan Peters, Director of Development, Flight For Life Colorado.

What: Tour de Fat

When: Saturday, September 12, 2009

Where: City Park – West Side; Denver

Tentative Schedule:
9:00 a.m. - Bike Parade Registration
10:00 a.m. - Bike Parade
11:00 p.m. Performances Begin
1:30 p.m. - “Carpocalypse Now” – Funeral procession for the car belonging to the Car-for-Bike Trade volunteer
3:30 p.m. - Car-for-Bike Trade Celebration
4:00 p.m. - Curtain Closes

Acts:
Sean Hayes www.seanhayesmusic.com
The Pimps of Joytime www.myspace.com/pimpsofjoytime
The Loyd Family Players www.theloydfamilyplayers.com/
Squirm Burpee Circus www.handsomelittledevils.com/
Honeymoon Cabaret www.daredevilchicken.com
The Sprockettes www.sprockettes.org

On the Grotto Stage, enjoy Bela Karoli with Ian Cooke, George Inai and the Curious Ghost Orchestra and Dovekins Longspoon.

Why Tour de Fat is the Must-Attend Event of the Season:

• Tour de Fat seeks to leave as small an environmental imprint as possible and composts and recycles waste from each tour stop. The waste diversion rate for 2008 was 92%.

• All musical acts will perform on a solar-powered stage with decorations made from recycled materials, trucks and transport use biofuel sourced from recycled waste oils, and all vendors operate off the grid.

• At the Team Wonderlounge, participants can join Team Wonderbike, New Belgium’s bicycling commuter advocacy program. Team Wonderbikers pledge to commute by bike, not car, as often as possible. Currently, 16,000 people have pledged not to drive 15 million miles in the next twelve months.

• This is a pro-bike celebration, not an anti-car rally…non-cyclists are more than welcome to join the festivities.

“Now is a great time to start sewing, pasting and thrift-store shopping for your Tour de Fat attire. All costumes will be celebrated and some will even be rewarded,” continued Simpson. “This is a big year for us as Tour de Fat celebrates a decade’s worth of passionate bike advocacy. It’s going to be a ballyhoo and a half.”

Tour de Fat 2009 will cycle through each of the following cities:

Chicago 7/11 @ Palmer Square
Minneapolis 7/18 @ Parade Athletic Fields
Seattle 8/8 @ Gas Works Park
Portland 8/15 @ Waterfront Park
Boise 8/22 @ Ann Morrison Park
Fort Collins 9/5 @ New Belgium
Denver 9/12 @ City Park
San Francisco 9/26 @ Golden Gate Park
San Diego 10/3 @ Balboa Park
Tempe 10/10 @ Tempe Town Lake
Austin 10/17 @ Fiesta Gardens

About New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, began operations in a tiny Fort Collins basement in 1991. Today, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium produces seven year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey, Mothership Wit and Trippel, as well as a host of seasonal releases. In addition to producing world-class beers, New Belgium takes pride in being a responsible corporate role model with progressive programs such as employee ownership, open book management and a commitment to environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.newbelgium.com.

See some great YouTube video of previous Tour de Fat moments in Denver by clicking on: Tour de Fat Denver 2008 video
Tour de Fat 2007 video
Tour de Fat Slow Ride video

Renowned artist Jeff Desautels brings a unique collection of oil paintings to the Standing Sun Gallery in Denver this week.  Jeff photographed over 300 images from this year’s race and turned the most dramatic images to paint.  He’ll also be displaying a variety of Giclee art prints.  Meet the artist on Friday, December 11 at the Opening Reception from 6-9pm.  Refreshments will be available. The Gallery is located at 826 Santa Fe Drive. Click here for event details.