Employees at the Denver Libary want you to dust off that bicycle languishing in your garage!  They invite you to come learn and share tricks and techniques for commuting to work on your bike!  Get the information on the Denver Library website by reading it here. 

Clif Bar and BikeDenver are pleased to announce Tonys Market, our Bicycle-Friendly Business of the Month! Tony’s got its start back in 1978 when the Rosacci family purchased a former 7-11 store on Dry Creek Road and turned it into their own old-fashioned butcher shop. According to Mick Rossaci, one of Tony’s sons, the business plan was simple: “Dad and Mom taught us to stock only the best, treat every customer like a good friend, and never sell anything we were not proud of.” The family business has since grown to include an additional three markets as well as catering company, and employs nearly 300 dedicated food professionals.

Last year, one of Tony’s Market regular customers, Closet Factory CEO Mark Lestikow, pitched an idea he’d been brewing for a couple of years to Tony’s H.R. director, Lynnea Louison (pictured at right with Tony’s Market Broadway Chef, Ben Davis). Mark thought one of his favorite bike-riding rituals—riding from one Tony’s Market to another, enjoying friendly welcomes and fine food at each stop—would make a fantastic charity ride. Louison thought so, too, and last October the Tony’s to Tony’s Ride became a reality. They reached the 55-rider cap within four days, and soon had to up the limit due to overwhelming response. According to Mark’s Closet Factory blog, “By the day the ride arrived, 70 riders had signed up…the ride was a huge success.”

The 2011 Tony’s to Tony’s Ride, taking place October 2^nd, will be even bigger than the first with a 150-rider cap. And, just as you’d expect from Tony’s, it’ll be even better, too. Participants will self-navigate the 71-mile loop, stop at all four Tony’s Market locations to snack on an assortment of culinary specialties, then enjoy an Italian luncheon at the finish. Current plans call for a $40 entry fee that will  include SAG support by Colorado HeartCycle, mechanics from Bicycle Village, and a route map provided by Closet Factory. Commemorative jerseys will be available for purchase, and ride proceeds will go to purchase bicycles for kids in need to be distributed through the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. Registration is expected to open mid-July, so be sure to check Tony’s website for more info, or email Lynnea directly: lynnea@tonysmarket.com. Way to go, Tony’s Market, for making bicycling in Denver better–and tastier–for all!

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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 more than 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.

Tony’s Market provides premium fuel for your bicycling adventures, whether you like to whip up your favorite food selections at home or stop in and partake in the freshly made treats their culinary experts turn out all day long. www.tonysmarket.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 more bicycling has great benefits for you, and 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, REI Denver Flagship Store, Solera Green Living, Holland & Hart, Grand Hyatt Denver, The Bike Depot, Snooze a.m. eatery, and Tony’s Market.

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 to hear them here.

Read about previous Bicycle-Friendly Business of the Month honorees:

February 2011 – Snooze a.m. eatery

January 2011 – The Bike Depot

December 2010 – Grand Hyatt Denver

November 2010 – Holland & Hart

October 2010 – Solera Green Living

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

2011 Denver Mayoral Sustainability Forum

Please join: 

Alliance for Sustainable Colorado • Colorado Conservation Voters • Colorado Environmental Coalition • Denver Museum of Nature & Science • Greenprint Denver Advisory Council

Moderated by Fox News Reporter Eli Stokols

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

6:00 – 8:00 PM Mayoral Forum

Reception to Follow

Denver Museum of Nature & Science

2001 Colorado Blvd. Denver

Free and Open to the Public

Partners

Denver Channel 8 • League of Women Voters • Bike Denver • Colorado Renewable Energy Society • eGo Car Share • Historic Denver • Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation • Re:vision International

For more information contact Brian Graves at 303-605-3482 or brian@coloradoconservationvoters.org

– By Scott O’Sullivan, Esq.

Here are five important tips that you should know if you are ever involved in a car-bike crash.  I hope you’ll never need to use them, but following the steps I outline below will significantly increase the probability of a just and fair outcome if you are injured in a crash while riding legally.

Over the past year, I have noticed an emerging pattern involving bicycle-automobile accidents.  I have received several calls from injured cyclists who had similar stories.  Each told me that he was on his bike, with the lawful right of way, when a car making a left-hand turn crashed into him.   Each called me because not only did he incur severe injuries, but in some cases the police issued a ticket to the cyclist instead of to the driver of the vehicle.

In one example, my client was riding his bike home at night on 12^th Avenue heading west, on the north side of the street in Capitol Hill.  As he approached a cross street, he slowed, looked both ways, and proceeded west across the street.  As he was crossing the street, a car heading east on 12^th Avenue made a left and literally ran over my client.  The Police issued my client a ticket for failing to have a headlight and/or reflectors.  The driver of the vehicle was not cited.  (Ultimately the ticket was dismissed when we proved my client had a front bike light, rear blinking red light and reflectors.  We then successfully pursued a personal injury claim against the driver of the vehicle.)

Disturbingly, in these incidents, the police officers at the scene do not seem to consider the bicyclist’s account of the event.  In several recent cases, we interviewed additional witnesses to the incidents who all said the accidents were caused by the car drivers.  Yet officers did not ask these witnesses for statements.

The failure of the police to properly issue a ticket to the at-fault driver can have devastating legal consequences for the injured rider.   In most cases, the at-fault driver’s insurance company will try to deny liability and refuse to pay for the rider’s medical bills incurred as a result of the driver’s negligence.  Unfortunately, many injured riders believe that there is nothing they can do and decide not to fight the insurance company.  As a personal injury lawyer who specializes in representing injured bicyclists, I can tell you there are no circumstances under Colorado law in which a motorist has the right to run over a bicycle rider who has the legal right of way.

What can we do about this trend?  BikeDenver and other advocacy groups work with local police  to address bicyclists’ concerns.  But you can help, too.  If you are hit by a car while riding a bicycle, you should:

• Get the names, telephone numbers, addresses and email addresses from all the witnesses to the accident, if you are physically able to do so.

• Make sure that the officer on the scene has heard your version of what happened before you are taken away by ambulance, if you are physically able to talk to the officer.

• If possible, take pictures of the scene, including your bike and the at-fault driver’s vehicle.

• Never give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurance company.

• Make sure that the police are called to the scene.  Never let the at-fault driver convince you that there is no need to get the police involved.

Throughout 2011 I will be posting articles to BikeDenver.org to help keep riders informed and safe.  You can read more about  “The O’Sullivan Series”  here.

Scott O’Sullivan, Esq.

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About The Author:  Scott O’Sullivan is the founder of the O’Sullivan Law Firm and has been successfully representing  injured bicycle riders since 1998.  As a bicyclist, Scott understands the nuances of  bicycling in the Denver metro area.  Feel free to call Scott at 303.388.5304 with any questions, or visit him on the web at www.OSullivan-Law-Firm.com.

(Photo credit: Jefferson Panis)

BikeDenver is pleased to introduce this month’s Bike Hero, Patrick Doyle, an award-winning journalist and Senior Editor at 5280 Magazine. Last month’s issue features Doyle’s personal story, “Breaking Away,” about trading in his pricey car-commute and downtown parking routine for a bike and RTD pass to save money, and he wouldn’t go back to driving if you paid him!

For those considering making a similar switch, Doyle’s article offers practical advice about route planning, equipment, and clothing that can make or break a commute (things he admits to having learned the hard way). It also describes the benefits he’s enjoyed as a result of his decision to use active transportation on a daily basis–including those that affect far more than just his bank balance.

“The exercise, cost savings, and stress-reducing aspects of commuting by bike or public transit are swell,” Doyle writes, “but the hidden benefit is that you become a more active observer of your city. Instead of being locked in a climate-controlled cube of metal and glass while you peer out at the world, you’re in the world.”

We couldn’t agree more, and say “Ride on!” to Doyle for showing 5280 readers how easy it is to elevate commuting from drudgery to daily delight.

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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 Patrick, 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!”

Assisted Cycling Tours (ACT), a local non-profit organization dedicated to opening the world of cycling to people with developmental and/or physical disabilities, is holding a tandem bicycling clinic and ride this Saturday, March 26th! The event is open to both children and adults, and begins with a hands-on demonstration of tandem biking and bicycle safety. Once everyone’s comfortable, participants will have the chance to take a ride along the bike path behind ACT’s Arvada office and experience all the fun and family connectivity that cycling has to offer.

The event costs $10 per family (scholarships are available), including lunch, and takes place from 11 am to 1 pm at 12665 W. 52nd Avenue in Arvada. Tandem bikes and helmets will be provided. Reservations are required; please RSVP to Bob Matter at 303-945-6205.

At BikeDenver, we like to go on a bike ride to celebrate the changing of the seasons, because every season in the Mile High City has it’s own unique charm when you’re on a bicycle.  We also know that the folks at Denver Bike Sharing are eager to treat Denver to an infusion of those awesome red bikes this spring when they open up shop March 14th on a whole new season of  bike sharing!  We’re no dummies, so we thought we’d join forces to celebrate the start of spring biking in Denver together!  BikeDenver and Denver Bike Sharing invite YOU to come out and ride with us Sunday, March 20,  at 5:00pm and join us for a post-ride social at The Meadowlark!

Ride Departs: The Meadowlark,  5:00pm (2701 Larimer Street)

Ride Route & Pace: We’ll be riding in Downtown Denver out toward City Park at a slow and social pace. Helmets recommended. You can ride your own bike or a B-cycle (you’ll need to check out a B-cycle from any kiosk prior to the ride).  Come before 5:00pm to sign your ride waiver. Here’s a sneak peak of the ride route!

How to ride via B-cycle: Acquire your B-cycle at any kiosk and arrive at Denver Bike Sharing prior to 5:00pm.  Our ride route will take us past multiple B-cycle kiosks so that you can check your bike in and back out when you are approaching the 30 minute free mark.

Post-Ride Social: We’ll congregate back at The Meadowlark after the ride (about 6:00pm).  They’ll be offering you a discount on your libations.  www.meadowlarkbar.com

Come out and celebrate with us!  Your bike or B-cycle is waiting!

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

Denver Bike Sharing is a Colorado charitable, non-profit corporation that operates to promote health, quality of life and preservation of the environment in Denver.  denver_bcycle.php

BikeDenver is pleased to introduce “The O’Sullivan Series,” a series of articles and commentary provided by Colorado personal injury attorney Scott O’Sullivan.  Scott will be publishing on a variety of legal topics via this website and he’ll also provide several free brown-bag sessions in 2011 to help Denver-area bicyclists get better informed about their rights and options under the law.

Through this series, you’ll learn about negligance, crash investigation, negotiation with insurance companies, and techniques to secure compensation for medical costs and lost wages.

BikeDenver’s Executive Director Piep van Heuven says: “We are introducing The O’Sullivan Series to help Denver-area bicyclists learn more about their rights and options under the law if they are involved in a crash.

As a former prosecutor and insurance defense lawyer, Scott brings a wealth of experience to this discussion.  Now the principal at O’Sullivan Law Firm, he’s been representing bicycle riders since 1998.  Learn more about Scott and the O’Sullivan Law Firm here.

Scott says: “In some crashes involving cars and bikes, police and witnesses exhibit a bias against the bicyclist. Even when the liability may be clear, the case may lean against the bicyclist.  In addition, bicyclists often sustain injuries following a crash that require medical attention and subsequent negotiations with insurance companies.  These are just some of the reasons why it is important to understand your rights under the law and what to do if you are involved in a crash, are ticketed for a crash-related infraction, or are injured as a result of a crash”.

Look for the first O’Sullivan Series article in later March.  Plan to attend the first O’Sullivan series brown-bag  this coming April.