Submitted by BikeDenver Member Paul W. Brekus -
About 3 years ago, at age 61, Steve Quam (left) noticed that as he walked, his right arm didn’t swing like it used to. After a trip to his doctor, he visited a neurologist, where it was discovered that he developed Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is a disease that progresses over time eventually crippling its victims. He is pictured here (left) with Paul Zeiger (middle) and Don Huth (right).

After doing some research, Steve found several organizations concerning Parkinson’s. The one that stood out was the Davis Phinney foundation. Davis Phinney is a 1984 Olympic cycling medallist who also won two stages of the Tour de France. After Phinney discovered that he had Parkinson’s he set up a foundation to support fellow Parkinson’s patients to learn to “live well with Parkinson’s” through “Victory Summit” and “Every Victory Counts.”

One of Steve’s lifelong goals was to cycle across the US. Knowing that it was just a matter of time before he would be unable to achieve this goal, he made the decision. There were two things that he did to ensure that he would actually achieve his goal: First, tell people that you are going to do this. This makes it harder to back down. Second, ship your bike to your starting point. This requires that you must go to your starting point, and therefore start your journey.

Steve set off from Anacortes Washington on June 27, 2010. His route took him near Canada with a brief border crossing into British Columbia, then down into Montana. He passed through Yellowstone, crossing Wyoming into Northern Colorado.

Through e-mail arrangements I met Steve on Thursday, August 26^th when he arrived in Denver as he pedaled along 44^th Ave. near Wadsworth Blvd. Steve stayed the night, and repaired his bike trailer. Friday, he flew to Minneapolis for his mother’s 98^th birthday returning Monday evening.

Tuesday, August 31, Steve and I met with some Denver area Parkinson’s cyclists, Don Huth and Paul Zeiger, Ph.D. After a breakfast at Heidi’s in Highland’s, we set off to Downtown Denver for a sightseeing side trip. Paul Zeigler couldn’t join us for the full day, so he returned home after the downtown trip.

Steve was invited to stay with Don in Littleton before heading to Parker to continue his eastward trek. Both Don and I were able to show Steve the great bike trail system Denver offers. Heading down the Platte river trail, then joining the Bear Creak trail, we arrived at Don’s home around 2:00 pm logging about 25 miles, one of Steve’s shorter ride days. (To see video of Steve and Don, click here: Steve and Don along the Bear Creek path.)

After a short lunch, discussion about the effects of Parkinson’s, and Steve’s trip, I wished Steve a safe ride, and headed back home. It was a great honor to ride with Steve.

Steve is planning on reaching Edisto Island, SC in mid November, completing his cross US ride.

For information about Steve’s ride, and about the Davis Phinney foundation, please visit the following web sites:

Steve’s Ride

St. Matthew UMC – About the Trip

davisphinneyfoundation.org

Submitted by Paul W. Brekus

Clif Bar and BikeDenver are pleased to announce their selection of the REI Denver Flagship Store as September’s Bicycle Friendly Business of the Month. Located at 1416 Platte Street in the restored Tramway Building, REI is not only a historic landmark, but a landmark for local cyclists as well. General manager Robert Voltz says his store is “very committed in promoting bicycling and alternative transportation for both our customers and employees,” and it shows. REI Denver encourages bike commuting by providing its customers with 80 bicycle parking stands, a B-cycle kiosk, and a full service repair shop, making it the perfect place for local riders to pedal for all their cycling essentials (including coffee at the in-house Starbucks).

It’s also a great place to pedal if you happen to work there. Employees who commute on two wheels enjoy ample indoor bike storage, showers, and extra lockers–all the necessities that help ensure a sustainable year-round commute. Better yet, store staffers are treated to a generous commuter reward program by logging their rides to work. When they’ve completed at least 30 round-trip rides, REI employees become eligible for prizes like bike tune-ups, gift cards, and coupons for time off work (more time to ride!). For tips on improving your commute, check out REI’s excellent commuting resource, Bike Your Drive.

While the REI Denver Flagship store is certainly a leader in upholding the company’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by promoting bikes as transportation, Voltz is quick to point out that its sister stores are dedicated to biking, too. “All our local stores support numerous cycling events,” he says. “Annually, our local stores each co-lead at least three service projects, most of which include bike paths and trails.” To learn more about these projects and how you can get involved, visit the store’s website here: REI Denver Flagship Store.

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 125 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. Nominate a workplace as a Bicycle Friendly Business here.

REI Denver Flagship Store actively promotes bikes as a means of transportation for both its employees and customers–just one of the ways it minimizes its operational impact on the environment. To learn more about the store and its commitment to commuters, check out their website here: REI Denver Flagship Store.

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

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

Bicycle Friendly Business of the Month Awards: 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, Denver Pavilions, the Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado, Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop, Little Man Ice Cream, Denver Water, Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), Sweet Action Ice Cream, MIGHTYkarma, and Quiznos.

More about BikeDenver:

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

You can help make a better place to ride a bike by becoming a BikeDenver member: Join BikeDenver!

Want to hear our zippy new radio PSAs? Click here. Hear them here.

Read about previous Bicycle Friendly Business of the Month honorees:

August 2010 – Quiznos

July 2010 – MIGHTYkarma

June 2010 – Sweet Action Ice Cream

May 2010 – Denver Regional Council of Governments

April 2010 – Denver Water

March 2010 – Little Man Ice Cream

February 2010 – Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop

January 2010 – The Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado

December 2009 – Denver Pavilions

November 2009 – Human Powered Transit Authority

October 2009 – Jones Lang LaSalle

September 2009 – Downtown Denver Partnership & BID

August 2009 – Historic Denver’s Story Trek

July 2009 (Inaugural) – Watercourse Restaurant

Join Denver Urban Gardens and Denver Parks & Recreation for Flourish! at Ruby Hill Park on September 25th. The entire community is invited to this free celebration of DUG’s 25th Anniversary and 100th community garden! Activities will include a morning groundbreaking ceremony at the garden site, a local chef’s competition with plenty of fresh dishes to sample, family picnics in the park, and a concert by Swallow Hill Music.Bring a picnic! Artists include Lucy Kaplansky and Patty Larkin, national children’s musician Justin Roberts, and local latin reggae band Mono Verde.

Click here for information about this event!

Click here to find out about volunteer opportunities.

Grab your friends and family and say “Wheel Eat Out!” on Monday September 27^th. Then grab your bikes and ride on down to Little Man Ice Cream in the Highlands (2620 16^th St.) and savor the taste of summer while the weather’s still balmy. Little Man is generously donating a portion of the day’s proceeds to help support BikeDenver’s advocacy and education efforts, so you can feel great about saying yes to that extra scoop—or two! We’ll even park your bike for you! To get the scoop on Little Man, click here: Little Man Ice Cream

On Sunday evening, September 12, Ken Gart (right) and Mayor Hickenlooper (left), participated in an urban bike tour of Portland.  Filled to capacity, this 40 person tour was offered as part of the Denver Metro Leadership Foundation’s annual city to city leadership exchange – which this year hosted 125 metro area executives in an intense two 2 day exchange with their counterparts in Oregon.

The program’s participants were divided into three groups: those touring the city on bicycle; those walking along the riverfront to experience the pedestrian bridges and walkways; and those exploring Portland’s famed Pearl District.

Now in its 21st year, the Leadership Exchange program brings Denver’s business and civic leaders together to discuss innovations and best practices of a city facing relevant business and policy issues.

Among the cities the group has visited over the years are Seattle, Minneapolis, Toronto and San Diego.

Nice helmets, guys!

Read a Denver Post article for more here:
Denver Chamber leaders will mine Portland, Ore., for ideas

We like to go on a bike ride to celebrate the changing of the seasons here in Denver, because every season in the Mile High City has it’s own unique charm when you’re on a bicycle.  Come out and ride with us Thursday, September 23rd and get your admission ticket to the after-ride social at the Denver Zoo!

Ride Departs: Denver Zoo Front Entrance 5:30pm

We’ll be riding in Northeast Denver at a slow and social pace. Helmets recommended. Come before 5:30pm to sign your ride waiver. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Post-Ride Social: 6:30pm-8:00pm

For those of you who register for the after-hours admission ticket (use this link: Autumnal Equinox Ride Zoo Admission), you’ll have access to Predatory Ridge (the first third of the Zoo) as well as the BBQ area at Samburu Grill.

ZOO ADMISSION IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO REGISTER.  THERE ARE A LIMITED (150) NUMBER OF SPACES. Register by Noon on Wednesday.

NEW: Check out the Ride Map!

ZOO BBQ: You’ll be able to purchase beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and their after-hours food options of burger, hot dog or chicken baskets.

BikeDenver is Denver’s bicycle advocacy organization. We’re working to make Denver a better place to ride your bike.

The Denver Zoo is actively involved in animal conservation efforts.  Since 1994, Denver Zoo has participated in 526 projects in 55 countries.  Preservation included with Admission.

Come ride, dance and experience the ultimate freedom: trading your car for a bike!

!!! Click here to Volunteer for Tour de Fat !!!

Ft. Collins, CO, August 23, 2010 – Clip a card in your spokes and fluff the rainbow wig …Tour de Fat is back for its 11th season! New Belgium Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle rolls through 13 cities this year, raising money and sharing bike love. Tour de Fat is coming to Denver’s City Park on September 11 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

For the fourth year in a row, Tour de Fat is looking for volunteers to accept the swapper challenge. One volunteer in each city will give up their car and receive a hand-built Black Sheep (http://www.blacksheepbikes.com/) commuter bike. The volunteer is chosen after submitting a video or essay describing their desire to live sans-car for a year. To submit an application, log on to http://www.newbelgium.com/tour-de-fat.

“The car-for-bike swap is the pinnacle of the day, illustrating one person’s true belief in all that a bicycle can offer,” said Bryan Simpson, spokesman for New Belgium. “Bikes represent freedom, fun and fitness while helping the environment. It’s a way of life that we live and share at New Belgium.”

Tour de Fat is free to participants, but beer and merchandise proceeds from the Denver stop go to support grassroots bicycle advocacy. Since its inception, the philanthropic cycling circus has raised more than $1 million on behalf of non-profit organizations.

“At BikeDenver, we promote and encourage bicycling in Denver and work to make it a better place to ride,” said Piep van Heuven of BikeDenver. “Take it from us, Tour de Fat is the FUNniest FUNdraiser of the year, and event proceeds will help fund BikeDenver programs and advocacy efforts that improve policy and infrastructure for you and your bicycle.”

“As this year’s Official Parade Marshall in Denver, the minds behind the Denver Cruiser Ride have spent numerous sleepless nights planning an amazing parade route that will take participants through parts of town that rarely see any bicycle action,” said Brad K. Evans, fearless leader of the Denver Cruiser Ride. “We’ve literally turned the route upside-down from years past. We considered each turn and curve on the route through the streets of downtown to maximize each parader’s experience, creating an organized, safe and interesting route which leads right back to the pearly gates of the wonderful and fun Tour De Fat event at City Park.”

What: New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat

When: Saturday, September 11, 2010

Where: City Park: West Side

Tentative Schedule:
9:00 a.m. Bike Parade Registration
10:00 a.m. Bike Parade Launch
11:00 a.m. Performances Begin
12:20 p.m. The SLOW RIDE
1:30 p.m. The Great Bike Story Contest for New Belgium Cruiser Bike
2:35 p.m. Car-for-Bike Trade Celebration
3:50 p.m. Faux Finale
3:55 p.m. Faux-Real Finale
4:00 p.m. Curtain Closes

Acts:
The Dovekins (http://www.myspace.com/dovekins)
A Honeymoon Cabaret (http://www.daredevilchicken.com/honeymoon.html)
The California Honeydrops (www.cahoneydrops.com)
Scot Nery (www.jugglegood.com)
Americaine: Stupide

Why Tour de Fat is a Must-Attend Event:

• Tour de Fat encourages everyone to embrace their inner-cyclist and ride the streets as a cohesive carnival of creativity. Each show begins with a costumed bike parade that stops traffic and turns heads along the way. (Costumes are highly encouraged!)

• 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 2009 was 94 percent.

• Tour de Fat is free to participants, but beer and merchandise proceeds go to local cycling non-profits. Since its inception, Tour de Fat events have raised more than $1.25 million for philanthropy.

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

See http://www.newbelgium.com/tour-de-fat for the Tour de Fat credo, schedules, videos and to submit your entry to swap your gas guzzler for a shiny new bicycle. Also visit our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Belgium-Tour-de-Fat/10150099069050417?ref=ts.

Tour de Fat 2010 will cycle through each of the following cities:

June 26 – Chicago, Palmer Square Park

July 3 – Milwaukee, Humboldt Park

July 10 – Minneapolis, Loring Park

July 31 – Seattle, Gas Works Park

August 14 – Portland, Waterfront Park

August 21 – Boise, Anne Morrison Park

September 4 – Fort Collins, Mothership

September 11 – Denver, City Park

September 25 – San Francisco, Lindley Meadows in Golden Gate Park

October 2 – San Diego, Balboa Park

October 9 – Tempe, Tempe Town Park

October 23 – Los Angeles, L.A. Historic Park

October 30 – Austin, 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 eight year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Ranger IPA, 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.

Contact: Jenny Foust (w) 303.433.7020 (c) 720.244.4268 jfoust@csg-pr.com

Check it out!  Here’s the lineup: www.bicyclefilmfestival.com

Seriously, people. DENVER is one of 38 cities to score the Bicycle Film Festival this year (and one of just 17 U.S. cities).  It’s their tenth anniversary and the films are better than ever.  Right here at Tivoli.  A don’t miss! See the trailer: Bicycle Film Festival 2010 Trailer

• AMSTERDAM
• ATHENS
• AUSTIN
• BARCELONA
• BOSTON
• CHICAGO
• COPENHAGEN
• DENVER
• LISBON
• LONDON
• LOS ANGELES
• MELBOURNE
• MEMPHIS
• MIAMI
• MILANO
• MILWAUKEE
• MINNEAPOLIS
• MONTREAL
• MUNICH
• NEW YORK
• PARIS
• PORTLAND
• SACRAMENTO
• SALT LAKE CITY
• SAN DIEGO
• SAN FRANCISCO
• SANTA BARBARA
• SAO PAULO
• SEATTLE
• SEOUL
• SYDNEY
• TAIPEI
• TOKYO
• TORONTO
• VANCOUVER
• VIENNA
• WASHINGTON DC
• ZURICH