You can expect music, drinks, and a whole lot fun. And yes, the amazing photobooth from last year’s “Bike to the Future” prom will be returning. Check out these goofy pictures and start planning your own wild poses.

Bike Prom 2012 will be held at the snazzy new Denver 404 Wheel Club at 404 Broadway.  Save the date and don’t let that teenage procrastination resurface — tickets are on sale now for $10 (a $5 savings!).

Doors open at 8pm! Bike Prom 2012′s media sponsor is www.westword.com

While working at the library, Darrell stumbled upon a children’s book about Marshall “Major” Taylor – the first African-American athlete to achieve the level of world champion after winning the 1 mile track cycling championship in 1899. A “forgotten hero”, Taylor made a huge impact in Darrell’s life, leading him, Chris, and other library coworkers to jump start a Major Taylor Cycling Club located in Stapleton. After following the national association rules, the club was up and running in April of last year. The club has since joined forces with The Hub at Stapleton – a partnership of the Stapleton Transportation Management Association, Denver Police Department Cop Shop, and now Major Taylor Cycling Club. The Hub offers services such as bicycle seminars, repairs, rentals, tours, and information about alternate means of transportations.

But back to the club: Major Taylor was always focused on inspiring kids, and subsequently youth involvement is a huge factor in the club’s activities today. Darrell says one of the club’s main goals is to “break down the barriers to cycling”. Now they fix and donate bikes to youths in the community and help encourage biking in all age groups by offering free programs like a Five Points community ride. The club has also participated in community events such as Viva Streets and the Sand Creek Clean Up. And in June this year they’ll have a booth at the Denver Century Ride; the club even routed the path for the Family Ride!

BikeDenver would love to thank Darrell for his dedication to improving biking in the Denver community!

[Submitted by Courtney Burkett]

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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 Chris, 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!”

Bike to the arts on Sunday, May 13th to enjoy Create Denver Week and Create Denver’s Spring Open Studio Tour and rockin’ After Party at the Ironton Gallery from 4-6pm. (3636 Chesnut).  Over 65 studios and galleries will be open to tour from 11am to 4pm with special programs and activities in one of Denver’s up-and-coming bikeable neighborhoods. See the full list of studios participating in the 2012 RiNo District Spring Studio Tour and UCD Iron Pour here.

Find your way by checking out the  RiNo Studio Tour Map.

What are you waiting for!  Get to know the arts. Get to know Denver.

BikeDenver will provide temporary event bike racks located at 36th & Chesnut, 33rd & Blake, and 35th & Walnut.

Ft. Collins, CO, March 26, 2012 – New Belgium Brewing today announced the much-anticipated Tour de Fat 2012 schedule. Now in its 13th season, Tour de Fat brings together passionate bike lovers for a day of two-wheeled revelry while raising money for local nonprofits. Tour de Fat is a thrilling rite of passage that includes an unparalleled costumed bicycle parade, New Belgium beer, dazzling entertainment, local food, unusual bike contests and much more. Coming to 15 cities across the country, New Belgium has added Atlanta and Washington, DC to this year’s lineup.

In 2012, Tour de Fat, which is a free event, will exceed the $2 million mark for money raised for local nonprofits through beer and merchandise purchases. Funds generally go to organizations in the world of bike advocacy, with money spent in a wide variety of ways, including trail maintenance, safety education, lobbying for better bicycle communities and a wide variety of other impactful initiatives.

The pinnacle of Tour de Fat is the ceremonious car-for-bike trade. At each Tour de Fat, one person becomes the center of the show as he or she gets up on stage, hands over car keys, and pledges to live one year car-free. Tour de Fat is now seeking volunteers to accept the swapper challenge. Each car-for-bike swapper will choose a local bike shop to help them turn their $2,250.00 budget into their ultimate car-replacement commuter bike. The cars will be auctioned by Vehicles for Charity, with proceeds to benefit local cycling organizations.

Swappers are chosen after submitting an application that describes why they are willing to trade in their vehicle for a shiny new bicycle. To submit an entry, go to the New Belgium Tour de Fat Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TourDeFat), click on events and your city of choice, and upload your application video. Applications may also be written and sent to: trademycarforabike@newbelgium.com.

“This is a big year for Tour De Fat as we added two terrific cities to the roster and look to surpass $2 million in funds raised for organizations that do great things for bicyclists and beyond,” said Matt Kowal, Tour De Fat Impresario. Event Festavarian “In addition, our community of car-for-bike swappers is about to grow, which is a highlight of our whole year. Bike advocacy should always be this much fun.”

A few tidbits about Tour de Fat:

• Start sewing,  collecting and dreaming up something to wear as Tour de Fat encourages      embracing your inner costume-loving self. Come dressed up to help put on the  most colorful, respectful and creative bike parade ever witnessed in each  city.
• Tour de Fat  seeks to leave as small an environmental imprint as possible and composts  and recycles waste. Bring only what you need and watch for proper  receptacles. We’ll do the rest!
• All performers grab your attention from alternatively empowered stages decked out in 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.

In 2011, Tour de Fat traveled to 13 cities, attracting a total of 69,550 festival attendees and 41,150 parade cyclists.  In addition, the festival raised $331,428 and boasted an impressive 90 percent diversion of waste from landfills.

See https://www.facebook.com/TourDeFat for the Tour de Fat credo, schedules, videos and to submit your entry to swap your gas guzzler for a fancy new bike.

Tour de Fat 2012 will cycle through each of the following cities:

Nashville, TN – June 2 – Centennial Park

Washington, DC – June 16 – Yards Park

Durham, NC – June 23 – Diamond View Park on the American Tobacco Campus

Atlanta, GA – June 30 – Historic 4th Ward Park

Milwaukee, WI – July 14 – Coast Guard Event Area, McKinley Park

Chicago, IL – July 21 – Palmer Square

Minneapolis, MN – July 28 – Loring Park

Boise, ID – August 18 – Ann Morrison Park

Fort Collins, CO – September 1 – Civic Center Park Area

Denver, CO – September 8 – City Park

Los Angeles, CA – September 15 – Los Angeles State Historic Park

San Francisco, CA – September 22 – Lindley Meadow in Golden Gate Park

San Diego, CA – September 29 – Golden Hill Park

Tempe, AZ – October 6 – Tempe Town Lake

Austin, TX – October 20 – Fiesta Gardens

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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 nine year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Ranger IPA, Belgo IPA, Sunshine Wheat, Shift Pale Lager, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey 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.

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Aside from a great day and good exercise, there are two more great reasons to ride:

1. There’s a super fun Post Ride Party with family and friends to look forward to. Food will be served from 11am to 4pm, family activities and a mini-Expo will be open for business, and last but not least, the Beer Garden to help relax after the ride.
2. You’ll also be riding for a reason: BikeDenver! $10 of every registration for the long distance 100 Mile, 85 Mile, and 62 Mile courses will be donated to help us continue improving bicycling throughout Denver.

Registration sales end June 13. But don’t put it off till the last minute, register now! 

And for more details, go to www.denvercenturyride.com.

Please join us in wishing a fond farewell and our hearty thanks to BikeDenver Advocacy Director Maggie Thompson!  She’ll  will be moving on in mid-June and joining the bicycle industry as Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop’s new General Manager.

At BikeDenver, Maggie came on board as the organization’s second full time staff member in October, 2010.  Prior to her time at BikeDenver, Maggie was a key staff member at Bicycle Colorado and at the Washington Area Bicyclist’s Association.

Since October 2010, she helped BikeDenver to:

• Establish high-level relationships with City Council and strengthen ties to Denver’s Public Works and Parks & Recreation departments
• Launch Denver’s 1st Ciclovia event with LiveWell Colorado
• Partner with Denver Parks & Recreation to introduce Denver’s 1st urban bicycle park at Barnum Park
•  Secure a Public Works Complete Streets policy that ensures Denver streets will be built and maintained for all user groups
• Collaborate with the University of Colorado at Denver’s Auraria Campus and RTD to increase access and ease for bicyclists on campus and on trains
• Advocate for timely completion of and appropriate bicycle accommodation on the Colorado Bike-Ped bridge
• Advocate for a permanent bike parking facility and additional bike parking options as a part of the Union Station redevelopment project
• Double the amount of bike lanes in Denver
• Play a leading role to support Denver achieving the League of American Bicyclists’ Silver Ranking as a Bicycle Friendly Community

BikeDenver Executive Director Piep van Heuven says: “It’s been terrific to work with Maggie and we are really  grateful for her leadership and vision during a key growth period for the organization.  I’m pleased to know that Maggie will be able to continue to advocate for bicycling and maintain her close ties with the bicycle community from her new vantage point at Salvagetti.”

A board and staff transition team is currently in place to manage the staff transition period.

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Want a sneak peak of Maggie in action for BikeDenver?  Check it out!

But Alex is also a true cyclist… and he has the bike collection to prove it. Alex started biking as a kid and since growing up now has about 16 bikes in total. Though it seems there’s just too many to choose from, he does have three favorites:

1. his Batavus BUB “with burley everything”

2. his oldie but a goodie stretch cruiser

3. and his 1936 Rollfast cruiser that’s “pure Rat Rod with sharp rusty edges everywhere rolling on modern wheels with an early thirties Marrow coaster brake.”

Clearly, biking is a big part of Alex’s lifestyle. Aside from saving tons of money by biking (not having to pay parking, maintenance, insurance, gas…), his choice of transportation lets him arrive awake and in a good mood – “being on a bike is like therapy, and bike therapy is awesome.”

[Submitted by Courtney Burkett]

*****

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 Chris, 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!”

But the folks at Cactus aren’t all business. For instance, the Bike From Work Bash, an extension of Bike to Work Day. Mike Lee, the PR & Social Media Director, explained that “like all great ideas, Bike From Work Bash was born over beer.” And with the joint effort of some the the Cactus workers, this party that includes food, drinks, and music has grown from a crowd of 700 its first year, to 1,400 the second, and to 3,000 the third. The bash is awesome for not only encouraging people to bike that day, but they also honored BikeDenver as their beneficiary the second year!

So how did this event end up growing so much? Well thanks to the help of a talented art director, Allie Edwards, the Cactus team gets together each year and comes up with a series of promo videos. Most popular? Why the Sexy Bike Wash of course. That’s right, a Sexy Bike Wash. If you haven’t seen it, check it out HERE.  Luckily for us, Mike says we can expect some more fun stuff later this year.

BikeDenver doesn’t just love their enthusiastic efforts in the Bike From Work Bash, we love Cactus’s “bike-friendly business” initiatives, too. Many employees bike to work and are greeted at work by bike parking and showers. Cactus also offers a loaner fleet of Kona Africa Bikes which are great for two main reasons: they’re easy to grab for trips around town and the Africa Bikes donated one bike to a community in Africa for every two that Cactus bought.

[Submitted by Courtney Burkett]

*****

BikeDenver’s Bicycle-Friendly Business (BFB) of the Month Awardshelp 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.

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 o n 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 25 work places for their bicycle friendly practices.

March 2012 – Denver Bike Cafe

February 2012 – Cake Crumbs Bakery

January 2012 – Hi*Rise Bakery

December 2011 – greatBIGcolor, Inc.

November 2011 – Kentwood City Properties

October 2011 – Gates Corporation

September 2011 – Wash Perk

August 2011 – TIAA CREF

July 2011 – Pedal Hopper

June 2011 – Illegal Pete’s

May 2011 – Primal Wear

April 2011 – eGo CarShare

March 2011 – Tony’s Market

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

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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.