BikeDenver is proud to introduce a new recognition program designed to showcase the diversity of citizen-cyclists and the people who support them in Denver.  The Bike Hero of the Month Program will feature one person each month, and tell their personal story. 

We’re pleased to introduce Chad McKeehan, our selection as January’s Bike Hero of the Month!   Chad commutes to work on a straight bar road bike or a mountain bike depending on the weather.  He rides on a bike path from his house in Hilltop/Montclair to his job in Cherry Creek, and leaves his bike at the Cherry Creek Bike Rack while he’s at work.
We asked Chad why he likes to ride to work.  He said: “ I enjoy biking because it clears my mind before and after work and I am able to get a whole different outlook on my day”.  On why he rides, Chad says: “I ride because it is great exercise and also great for the environment.  My brother David got me into riding and now I ride to show my son there are various ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle and also help the environment. I also work for a company that has a very strong stance on social and environmental issues”.

When he’s not riding to work,  Chad is the Director of Tiffany & Co. in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center.  He lives in Denver with his wife Nea, son Gordy and dogs Cricket & Nibbles.  His first favorite bike was a Huffy dirt bike that he got for Christmas in elementary school.

BikeDenver’s Executive Director Piep van Heuven says: “We are introducing Bike Hero awards because we want to encourage a friendly environment for and public image of bicyclists in Denver.  One of the ways we can do this is to showcase the different faces of and great stories about people in our community who ride bikes and help others get out there and ride.  We will honor bicyclists of all ages and walks of life, from the first time bicyclist to the rain or shine bicyclist!  We all know people (our neighbors, co-workers, family members or community leaders) who inspire us to reach for the handlebars instead of the car keys.  Take a moment to look around you and help BikeDenver recognize the people in our community who are making a difference for Denver, one ride at a time!” 

BikeDenver is Denver’s bicycle advocacy organization. BikeDenver promotes and encourages bicycling in Denver and works to make Denver a better place to ride your bike. Why? Because it’s healthy for you, and healthy for Denver. www.bikedenver.org  

Bicycle Village has been a Colorado owned and operated business for more than 30 years. From modest beginnings in an 1800 square ft. building in West Denver, Bicycle Village has grown into the largest bicycle retailer in the Rockies. www.bicyclevillage.com

by Lois Bikelane, Jan. 25, 2010

Is Denver getting snowier each Winter? Does the prospect of changing in and out of numerous, sweaty layers of cycling clothes and work duds seem more daunting than ever? Maybe more of your biking buddies are hanging up their wheels until the roads dry out, or installing a pair of studded snows on their ride. Perhaps navigating narrower, icier streets alongside skittery motor vehicles is not for you.

Guided indoor cycling is a great compliment to spring/summer outdoors riding as well, our short, intense workouts will support your long rides in a well-rounded exercise regiment. Check out Breathe’s new location on one of those blustery, impossible-to-ride days and put in a good workout on the spin bike. And then stay for the yoga.

I recently attended a few sessions at Breathe and have several more on my list to try out, so my new 20-class card is gonna come in very handy.

The first class I took was on a frosty Saturday morning: YogaCycle with Breathe owner, Sarah. I had done some spin classes before (including a killer 2-hour session while training for a benefit century ride last year). I never really enjoyed them–usually gasping for air during the “sprints” and in pain for days after the “climbing” segments–so was pleasantly surprised when everything felt “just right” this time.” Sarah’s approach allows for just enough of an oxygenating workout on the spin bike, yet leaves you with plenty of energy for the yoga session that follows, and it all fits neatly into one hour. And she sports some pretty great socks,  too!

I returned the following day, for an evening Restorative Yoga class–which was perfect for soothing the minor side effects of new muscle fibers under construction. (Don’t get me wrong, soreness IS part of a good workout, but doesn’t have to be debilitating!) Dim lighting, mellow music, and bountiful supportive bolsters made me wonder whether I was getting anything out of it besides a nap. But Penni assured us that our bodies were experiencing benefits on many levels beyond the barely-perceived stretch of reclining bound-angle pose.

Next up was Metal Monday with Jen. I’m thinking: here’s where I go for the big time, anticipating much pain coming from this. But once again–and maybe the smokin’ tunes blasting from our instructor’s iPod had something to do with it–my workout was just right. Jen manages to balance a full variety of flats, racing, sprints, hills, and rests into well-timed intervals, so just as it feels like your lungs/legs are about to explode, she eases you back to recovery pace and a cue for the water bottle. Now I’m primed to go back for Thrashin’ Thursday, when we crank it up with Punk Rock.

Breathe’s old space was tiny, compared to the new location at Colfax & Vine. It made for an intimate class, with less than a dozen spin bikes or room enough for about as many yoga mats. Their new, upstairs/downstairs studio arrangement allows for a more varied schedule, and the ability to have concurrent classes. Visit breathedenver.com to see the expanded schedule, location and more.

“Another cool thing we’re doing in the spring is going on cycling excursions, bringing our students out on long rides to the foothills.” –Jen Nordhem, breathe instructor (aka Ms. Hurricane). “We teach cycling as we do yoga - it is for everybody and every body. We  work on a scale of perceived exertion and three specific levels of cadence (resting pace, maintenance or race pace, and sprints) so you can push your edge on the bike just like you do on the mat in yoga.”

I’m loving this whole experience because this is going to help motivate me to keep riding through the winter… it’s January and I’ve already put in 3 bike-commute days in one week. I can do anything!

BikeDenver wants to know… what feeds YOUR cycling soul?
$10 off a 5 pack for anyone who brings this article to the studio!

Clif Bar and BikeDenver are pleased to announce their January Bicycle Friendly Business of the Month selection: The Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado.

BikeDenver Executive Director Piep van Heuven said: “It’s great to have the opportunity to recognize the Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado for all they do to support sustainable practices, alternative transportation and especially bicycling!  Their nationally reknowned building, The Alliance Center, houses over 32 non-profits whose employees find it easy and convenient to bike to work because of the center’s showers and interior bike racks.  BikeDenver benefits from their advocacy efforts, the collaborative opportunities we enjoy as a tenant of the Alliance Center, (as well as a user of the showers and interior bike racks!), and through our ability to host important meetings and trainings at the Center.  Most recently, the Alliance Center was host to two fall events including an Alliance for Biking and Walking “Winning Campaigns” training and a League of American Bicyclists Traffic Skills 101 training.”

The Alliance’s President and CEO John Powers says:  “It’s an honor to be recognized by Bike Denver for bike-friendliness, a workplace ethic that the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado encourages all businesses to take to heart. Bike Denver is a valuable group to have in the Alliance Center’s collaborative space.  Bike Denver helps educate Center tenants, their affiliates, influential visitors to the Center, and partners in the statewide sustainability network on biking as a real and significant transportation alternative to cars.  Biking promotes health and reduces vehicle miles travelled.  The Alliance is delighted to have Bike Denver be an important member of the team carrying the mantel of sustainability and making its worthy contribution to the key issue of transportation.”

A Brief History of the The Alliance Center: The Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado purchased a nearly 100 year old LoDo warehouse in 2004 and turned it into a model of high performance technologies and a collaborative hub named the “Alliance Center” that became one of two buildings in the world to earn two certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.  Located at 1536 Wynkoop Street, the Center provides offices, meeting space, and shared services to the community.   Take a virtual tour to learn more about green building features here. For a recent example of the power of the Alliance Center and its tenants, click here.

BikeDenver’s Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) of the Month Awards help highlight organizations that are making standout contributions and offering great success stories from among BikeDenver’s Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) Program members. The BFB program, with 100 honorees to-date, recognizes 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 of 2009 to launch the monthly awards program, Clif Bar and BikeDenver have recognized Watercourse Restaurant, Historic Denver’s Story Trek, Downtown Denver Business Improvement District, Jones Lang LaSalle, Human Powered Transit Authority, and the Denver Pavilions.

The Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado is a Colorado non-profit dedicated to advancing sustainability through collaboration among nonprofits, businesses, governments, and education.  They work to advance economic, environmental, and social sustainability in Colorado by building cross-sector alliances and networks. The Alliance pursues sustainability through major programs that value education, coalition building, and the promotion of sustainable policies and practices. See their video here.     www.sustainablecolorado.org

Clif Bar & Company started on a bike ride. Founder Gary took a bite of another energy bar and thought he could make a better bar. Today, Clif Bar is a leading maker of all-natural and organic energy and nutrition foods and drinks. www.clifbar.com

BikeDenver is Denver’s bicycle advocacy organization. BikeDenver promotes and encourages bicycling in Denver and works to make Denver a better place to ride your bike. Why? Because it’s healthy for you, and healthy for Denver. www.bikedenver.org  

See BikeDenver’s PSA’s and learn about the great reasons to ride in Denver: “Priceless” “Why I Ride”

BikeDenver’s new radio PSAs are here!  Designed to encourage ridership and educate bicyclists and motorists how to safely share the road, these messages are the first of many we’ll be introducing in 2010.  Hear them below!

BikeDenver worked with Mighty Karma marketing company to develop messaging, and board member “Brody” is the voice of the campaign.

Tell us what you think, when you hear these on the air, and send YOUR suggestions for the focus for future pieces!

Click below to hear the PSAs:

BikeDenver - Save Your Car Door!

BikeDenver - Bike Locks Don’t Expire

BikeDenver - One Less Car

BikeDenver - Don’t Suck

Learn about BikeDenver board member “Brody” and his gig at Denver’s Alice 105.9 here.

Learn about Mighty Karma marketing company here.

(Courtesy Just Another Bike Ride Across America & New Hampton Tribune)

Tony Breitbach got on Facebook and posed the question to his old high school buddy.
“Any interest in riding a bicycle across the United States of America in the spring of 2010?”
Brendan Leonard laughed as he recalled his first thoughts when the two hooked up later via the telephone.
“Abstractly, I was all for it,” Leonard said, “but then I realized he was like serious. And I thought, man that would be awesome.”

We’re riding across America, along the Southern Tier route from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida, starting at the beginning of March 2010. The route is approximately 3,100 miles, and should take us a little less than 60 days to complete. And so we have a good reason for doing it, we’re raising money for Big City Mountaineers (based in Denver, CO) along the way.

The two former New Hampton (IA) residents are about to embark on their awesome adventure, one that will cover 3,100 miles, all on a bike, and will take them from San Diego to Saint Augustine, Fla.
The pair hopes to raise $10,000 for Big City Mountaineers, a non-profit organization based in Denver that employs Leonard.  “That made it a little easier for me to go into my boss and say, ‘Um, just wondering, would you mind if I took a couple of months off?” Leonard said.  Meanwhile, Breitbach’s chiropractic clinic that is based in Evanston, Ill., is picking up the costs of the trip.  “I don’t want to be one of those guys who gets old, looks back and says, “Man, I wish I had done that bike ride when I was 30,” Breitbach said. “It’s going to be a heck of an adventure.” (Leonard pictured below left, Breitbach pictured below right)

The trip will help Big City Mountaineers deal with some of ths costs of sending out approximately 50 weeklong backcountry trips in California, Colorado, the Pacific Northwest and the Boundary Waters. Each trip matches 5 at-risk urban teenagers with 5 adult mentors, for what is many of the kids’ first trip into the outdoors, and a new perspective for them. To donate, click here.

Learn more about Just Another Bike Ride Across America here.

Brendan Leonard is BikeDenver member and former board member.

Read BikeDenver’s blog post on why biking is good for the community, safety and legal tips for bicyclists and motorists here.

(Courtesy RMPBS) Rocky Mountain PBS is kicking off part two of the Blueprint America project this month. In the coming weeks, we’ll feature compelling insight and information from a range of experts and advocates, dedicated to making Colorado’s cities and communities more livable, accessible – and healthier.

The online discussion is a lead-up to the February public screening of “Beyond the Motor City,” a program airing on Rocky Mountain PBS on Feb 8 at 9 p.m., which examines how Detroit – devastated by the fall of the American car industry – ultimately may come to represent the future of transportation and progress in America.

The current RMPBS Blueprint project will examine how Colorado’s infrastructure is being reimagined to create safer roadways, healthier living and alternative means of transportation.

In the last 15 years or so, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community, with children, the elderly and ethnic minorities at greatest risk. And the Denver region was ranked the 23rd most dangerous metropolitan area for pedestrians of the 52 largest in the U.S., according to a national report, Dangerous by Design, and had the 9th highest percentage of pedestrian fatalities from traffic accidents among very large (1 million or more) metro areas.

Something has to give.

Part one of the Blueprint initiative, which began in May 2009, looked at the progress of Denver Living Streets, a citywide initiative launched in the summer of 2008 to stimulate dialogue about the benefits and trade-offs of living streets, and recommend how a living streets approach can be incorporated into everyday decision making by city agencies. Managed by Denver’s Public Works and Community Planning & Development departments, eight city departments and agencies are collaborating on the project.

The initiative’s impact so far has been significant, and the collaboration with Rocky Mountain PBS has been credited with bolstering the work.

In October 2009, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Transportation Commission adopted a groundbreaking statewide bicycle and pedestrian policy, which provides “transportation infrastructure that accommodates bicycle and pedestrian use of the highways in a manner that is safe and reliable for all highway users.” Bicycle Colorado’s Executive Director Dan Grunig said at the time, “Bicyclists have helped pass positive legislation and overturn bike bans, but this policy may be the biggest step toward bicyclists being treated as legitimate road users.”

In June, city officials announced plans for a “bikescape” or bicycle infrastructure. The goal of the upgrades is to create a comfortable, connected and safe environment for bicycling throughout Denver. And Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has thrown his weight behind the initiative by stating that he wants 10 percent of all Denver commuters riding bikes by 2018. Moving things along, the city received $250,000 from the federal stimulus package to build new bike lanes.

Progress has been steady, and that’s largely because Denver has spent the past decade  creating new policies and plans, and investing in infrastructure improvements to make the city safer for people using all modes of travel

Watch a preview of “Beyond the Motor City”

Check out this great video of people testing out the new Denver B-cycles after the December launch party…

See the video here.<

Learn about B-cycle here.

WHAT - The Road Ahead: Implementing Innovation - Expanding Local Connections with Pioneering, Practical and Proven Sustainable Transportation Options
Program includes: Full breakfast, networking, national keynote presentation, local panel discussion, and audience Q & A

WHEN - Friday, January 29, 2010, 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM

WHERE - JW Marriott Denver at Cherry Creek, 150 Clayton Lane, Denver, Colorado 80206

Transportation Solutions announces the sixth annual The Road Ahead educational forum, Implementing Innovation , offering an in-depth look at creative transportation options employed around the country to facilitate connectivity, accessibility and sustainability. The presentation will feature policies, partnerships and best practices in innovations such as carsharing, bikesharing, and enhanced transit strategies already implemented in cities across the nation.

Featured Presenter: Clayton Lane, Chief Operating Officer for EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute’s Center for Sustainable Transport. EMBARQ works to catalyze sustainable solutions to problems of urban mobility in the developing world. Prior, Mr. Lane co-founded and directed PhillyCarShare, the nonprofit organization that provides “cars by the hour” in Philadelphia. As a Professional Associate and Lead Planner at Parsons Brinckerhoff, he became an expert in transit planning and FTA New Starts projects, designed rail and bus facilities and services, and led long-range planning.

Tickets are $35 per person including breakfast. (Limited scholarships available.)
Early Bird registration online at theroadahead2010.eventbrite.com