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Bike Guide: Come Trail Away - The Bike Guide |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 03 May 2007 |
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Page 1 of 4 
Bike-friendly communities don’t just happen. They require initiative, cooperation and advocacy.
Luckily for Fort Collins, the city is filled with bike enthusiasts who are always up for the challenge.
Rick Price, 57, of Fort Collins is one of many vocal cyclists in the area. He is president and a founding member of Friends of the Fort Collins Bicycle Program, an advocacy group that promotes and supports the bicycle system and programs.
“We are trying to get people involved and engaged,” Price said. “The basic infrastructure we all enjoy— that I enjoy— doesn’t happen automatically. It comes through city council decision making, citizen boards and commissions and citizen involvement.”
Price has biked since the late ’60s and started his own bike business with his wife in 1985. Experience Plus organizes bike tours in Europe.
 He rides his bike just about everywhere and logged 7,500 miles last year. It was a record year because usually he averages 4,000-6,000 miles annually.
“I ride at least 10 miles every day,” Price said.
With grass-roots efforts made by groups like Friends of the Fort Collins Bicycle Program, Fort Collins now has a part-time bike coordinator to bring together all of the components of a bicycling community.
Bike coordinator Dave “DK” Kemp, 35, of Fort Collins, said he works with the nonprofit groups and the city to bring better cycling to Fort Collins. He also plans special events and promotes cycling as sensible transportation.
Other nonprofit groups, like Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol, promote responsible mountain biking.
Barb Allan, the director of Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol, said the group serves as the eyes and ears for the state parks and forest services. Members report when a trail needs maintenance and educate people on the rules of the trails.
“It’s our goal to keep the trail open for bikes,” Allan said.
With so many people grabbing the handlebars, Fort Collins is pedaling its way to becoming one of the most bike-friendly places to live.
The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community Program recognizes communities for efforts in promoting bike-friendly environments on levels ranging from bronze to platinum. Currently, Fort Collins is at silver level status, but has applied for gold level status and should hear back in the next few weeks.
“Whether you are going out for fun or going out to dinner with a significant other, you can use your bicycle every day,” Kemp said. “It becomes a part of who you are. You can make your bike signify your personality. You are your bike. I love my bike.”
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READ MORE OF OUR BIKE GUIDE:
• Trails
• Cycling events
• Listings of Bike shops in the area
• Work space with Perfect Circle Cyclery
• What's with the Velodrome?
• Spinning is like cycling, only harder
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WEB GEMS
For more information, check out www.fcgov.com/bicycling, www.bikefortcollins.org
or www.dpmbp.org.
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BIKE PROJECTS IN THE WORKS
Bicycle Library: BikeFortCollins.org and FC Bikes are working to create a citywide bike library where people can check out a bike at little or no cost for as short as an hour or as long as a week. The groups applied for a grant for the program and have contacted police services about acquiring stolen and found bikes. Fort Collins’ Bike Against Collective would more than likely oversee the recycling program.
Bike Museum: A long-term plan of the Friends of the Bicycle Program is to create a vintage or historic bicycle museum. Rick Price, president of the group, said it would start off as a museum without walls. “The idea is to have a few merchants in Old Town display some of the bikes we’ve collected.” There are bikes from Turkey, Buenos Aires and other unusual places. Price said he hopes to have some displayed by June or July this year.
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|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
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| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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