The Beginning

BikeDenver came into being in the summer of 2001 with organizing help and guidance from Bicycle Colorado. Early on, a core group of active members emerged to lead the new organization with most of the advocacy efforts centered on securing the planned Bicycle Station in downtown Denver; an undertaking that eventually failed in 2003 for lack of a qualified vendor.

Meanwhile, the group provided input to the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee concerning the Denver Bicycle Master Plan Update, produced a safety brochure for cyclists, developed a Web site and created the capacity to provide bike parking at major Denver public events and festivals.

The Goals

In the fall of 2003, BikeDenver held its first planning retreat/annual meeting. The outcome of the retreat was a list of seven areas of focus for the organization in the upcoming year.

These items include:

› Mission Statement and Goals

› Advocacy/Lobby

› Develop Organizational Identity

› Website

› Develop Member Database

› Action Alerts/Newsletter

› Bike Parking

In January of 2006, BikeDenver was recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization by the IRS. Here is the application and its required attachments.

The Future

As BikeDenver continues to grow a strong email contact list (about 900 as of July 2004), we are becoming a major factor in the promotion and encouragement of bicycling as a viable alternative transportation mode in Denver. Realizing that there is power in numbers, we continue to develop and maintain relationships with other bicycling advocacy groups in the metro area and statewide.