We’ve added some new faces to the BD team! Here’s a quick intro to our three bike-loving newbies:

Maggie Thompson, our new Advocacy Director, is originally from Gainesville, Florida, where her high school job had her sweeping floors in a bike shop so she could earn enough for her first mountain bike (she swears you can MTB in central Florida!). After college, she began working on the bike advocacy scene in D.C, and later ventured west to help initiate the Safe Routes to School program at Bicycle Colorado. Maggie says, “I am a strong believer that when you make communities good for bicycling, you make communities good for everyone. Whether it’s kids learning to be independent by biking to school, adults staying healthy by biking to work, or drivers who benefit from less traffic congestion, bicycling is a big win!” We think Maggie’s a big win for BikeDenver, so we’re glad she found her way to us (see photo at right).

Please also welcome new board member Rob Price. Rob just shifted gears and left the corporate sector behind to focus on a career in non-profits. When he’s not helping out BikeDenver, Denver B-cycle, or Project Angel Heart, you’ll find him at Metro State working on his Certificate in Non-Profit Administration. Rob has a passion for cycling (as evidenced by his photo at left!), and has been riding his bike to work for the past 17 years.

Finally, we have yet another addition from the Auraria Campus: our fall communications intern, Erin Hilmer. A continuing education student in English Writing at UC Denver, Erin is excited to combine her love of cycling with her penchant for writing (see her brainstorming a story below). She’s covering our “color pieces” through mid-December, and we plan to continue our relationship with UCD so we can offer you, our loyal web and newsletter readers, a fresh perspective every few months!

Clif Bar and BikeDenver are pleased to announce Solera as October‘s Bicycle Friendly Business of the Month. Solera is a new, luxurious-yet-affordable, 120-unit apartment building located downtown at 1956 Lawrence Street. This super-sharp, super-green dwelling is registered for LEED Gold Certification and will be the first sustainability-focused rental residence in the region to earn such high distinction. As Solera’s Director of Operations, Susan Maxwell, puts it, “Our ‘secret sauce’ is our commitment to the environment,” and that commitment makes it simple to live green. Each unit features a real-time energy consumption monitor, Energy Star appliances, high-efficiency lighting, and dual-flush toilets. Residents can even opt to power their apartments with energy gleaned from rooftop solar panels. And while environmentally friendly living might begin at home, Solera is spreading its “secret sauce” even farther by making access to alternative transportation a priority.

Unlike most Denver-area apartment buildings, Solera doesn’t expect that all of its tenants will own cars. Instead, they’ve implemented several design features and programs that make biking the best—and easiest—choice for getting around town. In addition to providing plenty of indoor bicycle parking, Solera is within a block of a B-cycle station, so residents can easily grab a “red-rider” for errands or quick commutes. For longer trips or leisurely cruising, Solera also offers loaner bikes (pictured here with Maxwell and resident Dave Lundberg) as part of its innovative Velo Program. The result of a close partnership with Wheat Ridge Cyclery, the program allows members access to the Velo Room featuring a fully stocked workbench (below), work stands, and a vending machine for bike-consumables such as tubes and lube. And for those who aren’t quite sure what to do with all that stuff, Wheat Ridge provides mechanic visits and even holds in-house bike maintenance and repair clinics. Good thing, too, because tenants wouldn’t want a wobbly wheel to keep them from one of the program’s bike-skills or bike-fitness classes, much less a Solera group ride!

So does all of this really get people out of their cars and onto their bikes? Resident Kim Marker has this to say about Solera: “Their enthusiasm towards biking is infectious and makes me excited to bike to work and utilize their amenities. They are really acting as leaders…and I believe that they are serving as a role model to encourage more of their tenants to get on a bike!” Bike Denver agrees, and applauds Solera on its efforts to create more citizen-cyclists.

To learn more about what this innovative residence has to offer, visit Solera in person at 20th St. & Lawrence, or read more about it here: Solera Green Living.

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.

Solera is the first LEED Gold Certified apartment building in the region, and is proud to partner with Wheat Ridge Cyclery to help make Denver greener, more accessible, and a whole lot more fun! www.soleraliving.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

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, Quiznos, and the REI Denver Flagship Store.

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:

September 2010 – REI Denver Flagship Store

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

Dr. Lifschitz, an endocrinologist hailing from South Africa, has been commuting by bike in Denver for 25 years. Though he owns several bikes for recreation and has participated in Ride the Rockies many times (five times as medical personnel), he makes his eight-mile daily commute to Rose Medical Center on a 20-year-old Diamondback. Lifschitz lists three reasons for his commitment to cycling: 1) better health, 2) to decrease air pollution, and 3) to decrease foreign oil dependence. He calculates that he has ridden at least 120,000 miles since he was a child. “That’s the lifetime of one automobile!” he says with a smile.

Dr. Lifschitz’s wife, Ann, tells us her husband is always saying, “‘What does not kill makes fat,’ meaning that if he doesn’t bike with the risks of biking, he will become fat and gain weight.” She says his commitment to cycling has not only inspired her, but also the couple’s daughters, sons-in-law, and two young granddaughters to take up a two-wheeled lifestyle. So, while his peers select Dr. Lifschitz as one of 5280 Magazine’s Top Docs each year, we think he also deserves to be recognized as one of Denver’s top bike heroes. Way to ride, doc!

BikeDenver’s Bike Hero of the Month Awards highlight different people each month, and help encourage other people to bike by telling the Hero’s personal story. The goal of the Bike Hero Awards Program is to showcase the diversity of citizen-cyclists and the people who support them in Denver. 

BikeDenver’s Executive Director Piep van Heuven says: “We introduced the 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, like Dr. Lifschitz, who ride bikes or help others get out there and ride. Through the Bike Hero awards, BikeDenver honors 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!”

Stop…Shop…Drop! The 22nd Annual Subaru Denver VeloSwap is a fantastic celebration of everything in the world of bicycling. VeloSwap features new and used bicycles and equipment, cycling and sports clinics, family events, cycling celebrities, product sampling, an expanded EcoVillage, and much, much more. Reaching over 10,000 people, VeloSwap is the place to see, swap, buy, and sell every imaginable bike, part, and accessory. It’s a not-to-be-missed cycling culture happening, so come on out, feel the pulse of the bike community, and rub elbows with like minded individuals in the pursuit of cycling happiness! BikeDenver will be there to aid your adventure, so stop by and let us park your bike, shop at all the best booths, then drop your purchases at our bag-check station so you can enjoy the the show unimpeded!

When: Saturday, October 23, 2010, 9am – 4pm. Bike parking opens at 8am.

Where: National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St, Denver, CO 80216. See Map

Tickets: $8 at the door, $6 in advance at Front Range REI and Performance Bicycle stores or online. Buy Tickets

BikeDenver at VeloSwap:

• Ride to VeloSwap! We’re providing free, secure bike parking. For directions by bike, click here: Biking Directions
• Shop and Drop: We’re providing bike and bag-check services in the exhibit hall. Buy stuff and check it in with us! Look for our booth along the back wall near the cafeteria.
• Event Membership Special: Become a new BikeDenver member at Veloswap for $25 ($10 savings).  Help support our advocacy efforts in the City and County of Denver: Priceless!
• Volunteer! We’re always delighted to welcome new BikeDenverites willing to give a hand to assist in our bike parking operations and outreach efforts

Sign up to help out: www.bikedenver.org/bike-parking/

Grab your friends and say “Wheel Eat Out!” on Wednesday, October 20th, then let them grab your wheel as you pedal to Parisi (4401 Tennyson St.) for some fine Italian fare! We’ll park your rides while you go inside and treat yourselves from a menu chock full of tasty temptations. Go ahead–order aplenty, as Parisi is generously donating a portion of the day’s proceeds to help support BikeDenver’s advocacy and education efforts. Check out Parisi’s info and offerings on their website, Parisi, and mark your calendar for 10/20!

LiveWell Colorado and Kaiser Permanante are offering a free Webinar about what makes Portland’s cycling scene run like a well-oiled chain! Join them from your computer this Monday, October 11th from 12-1pm (MDT). BikeDenver has seen this super-informative presentation, and we highly recommend it to anyone interested in finding out what Denver can do to follow in the tire tracks of this extraordinarily bike-friendly metropolis. To attend Active Transportation & Health: Learnings from a Summer Cycling in Portland, simply click here to sign up: Webinar Registration.

BikeDenver will organize a 1,200 space bike corral at Invesco on October 17th to support ORANGE RIDE.  6-10 more Volunteers Needed! Sign up here… and don’t be afraid of the 4-7pm slot, there will be time before the game ends to check out the action in the Broncos Barn and then get back to the business of checking bikes out after the victory!

The Denver Broncos and the City of Denver announced ORANGE RIDE details on October 11th. The ORANGE RIDE is scheduled for October 17th. Read the press release here!

Event Details: The first ever ORANGE RIDE will be on October 17, 2010 for Broncos Orange Sunday versus the New York Jets at 2:05 p.m. Denver celebrities will lead bicycle rides departing at 11 a.m. from four different locations throughout the City and converge at Invesco Field’s Broncos Barn, located outside the south side of the stadium. Please read the ORANGE RIDE poster (top right) for departure locations and times.

The Promotion and YOUR benefits: Orange Ride participants will gain free admission to the Broncos Barn ($8 value), where there will be food, drink, giveaways, and a chance to win Broncos prizes, including tickets to that day’s game. Plus, you’ll be able to kick back and watch the game (and earlier games) on their massive screen. Beers ($2 and Tacos $2) until Noon.  Then the price goes up to $3, still a bargain! The event is designed to encourage fans and the bicycling community to ride their bikes to Invesco Field and enjoy a free pre-game celebration and another great experience at Invesco.

BikeDenver will operate the bike parking corrral next to the Broncos Barn. The bike corral will provide an enclosed area right by the stadium to park your bike. Please bring your bike lock! We’re looking for 60 volunteers to help out in three shifts of 20 (10am-1pm, 1pm-4pm, 4pm-7pm). No experience necessary. Volunteers get a free beverage at the Broncos Barn, a Denver Broncos t-shirt, and the opportunity to participate in one of the largest single-day bike parking corral events in Denver!

Guided bicycle rides to the event will be organized and led by the Denver Cruisers. Bicyclists who participate in these rides are encouraged to wear orange for the day and will be given Orange Sunday Game Day towels.

Most of the ORANGE RIDE locations are close to B-cycle stations.  People who want to join the ride are encourged to B-cycle for the event. Denver B-cycle will waive all usage fees for B-cycle users who ride the ORANGE RIDE.

Broncos and Sustainability : ORANGE RIDE is another example of the Denver Broncos leadership in promoting sustainable practices at Invesco Field. The team has one of the more forward-thinking recycling and energy-saving programs of any team in the National Football League.

For more details about Orange Ride or Orange Sunday, visit ‘http://www.denverbroncos.com/fans/orange-ride.html’

For Immediate Release – October 4^th, 2010 

Media Contact: Benjamin Turner, Program and Events Manager, Transportation Solutions

Email – bturner(at)transolutions.org   

DU TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL BIKE AND WALK SCHOOL DAY WEDNESDAY

The DU Transportation Center will be hosting a celebration of bicycling to and from campus on this Wednesday, October 6^th in conjunction with International Walk and Bike to School Day.  The celebration will be located in front of Driscoll North next to the Denver B-Cycle station.   The first 150 students, faculty or staff who ride to campus and show the key to their bicycle U-Lock will receive a free lunch on the spot, which will include a slice of pizza from Fat Sully’s Slice Truck and a bottled drink courtesy of Honest Tea.  Additional riders who present their key will also receive a lunch coupon good at a local establishment   Everyone is encouraged to ride on Wednesday and to stop by the celebration at Driscoll Center starting at 11:30a and going until 1:30p.

Participating DU community members who bring their bike to Driscoll Center will be able to:

• get complimentary bicycle safety checks from Campus Cycles,
• register their bicycles with Campus Safety
• discover the benefits of cycling around town from BikeDenver

Everyone from the DU community is encouraged to stop by to

• purchase student memberships to Denver B-Cycle,
• get assistance with bicycle and transit routing from Transportation Center staff,
• sample Clif Bar products
• learn about eGo Carshare’s local carshare options
• discuss campus sustainability efforts with the USG Sustainability Committee 

“The DU Transportation Center will use this event to celebrate DU’s cyclists who help decrease the campus’s carbon footprint, and make its community members healthier, fitter and happier,” said Sarai Glass, a student customer service representative at the Transportation Center.  The Transportation Center is a joint partnership of the University of Denver and Transportation Solutions, a local non-profit committed to increasing the availability and use of transportation choices that improve traffic, air quality, health and economy for businesses and residents in the Denver area.

“The University of Denver is deeply committed to encouraging bicycling as a safe, fun alternative to using other forms of transportation to get to campus.  We are excited for the Transportation Center to host this celebration which will reward and celebrate our cyclists,” said Buddy Knox, Director of Parking, and chair of the board of directors for Transportation Solutions. 

In the U.S., International Walk and Bike to School Day is expected to include 5,000 schools from all 50 states.  Walkers from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world.  Walk to School events work to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among students, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between schools and the broader community.

# # # # # #

DU Transportation Center,  a joint project of the University of Denver and Transportation Solutions, serves the campus community’s transportation needs including transit pass distributions, Guaranteed Ride Home services and routing assistance.   The Transportation Center is located at 2130 S. High Street and can be reached by phone at 303-871-7433 or online at http://du.edu/transcenter.

Transportation Solutions is a local, award-winning, nonprofit TMA working to increase the availability and use of transportation choices that improve traffic, air quality, health and economy for businesses and residents in the Denver area. For more information http://transolutions.org

280 Columbine Street       Suite 306     Denver, CO  80206      (303) 377-7086      www.transolutions.org