On a cool Friday morning, Stephanie Stanley straps on a helmet
and her son, Jake, to his bike seat, looks back for daughter,
Hannah, and starts pedaling.
Stanley will escort Hannah, 8, to the neighborhood elementary
school, then hit the trails to get Jake, 3, to preschool and
herself to work.
Stanley has a short 3-mile downhill ride to work. Getting home
is another matter, but she arrives at the Metro District office
with relative ease.
“All I really need to do to be ready for work is to brush my
hair once more,” Stanley said. “I’m not trying to set pace records,
so I’m not arriving sweaty.”
She rides in on Fridays to save the gas between April and
October.
She estimates her ride to be 15 minutes coming in and a half
hour going home.
Over at the parks department, Jason Kruegel, a forester, wakes
in his Parker home at 4:50 a.m. to ride 18 miles to Highlands
Ranch.
Even in July he can have layers on for the cool
mornings.
Like Stanley, his commuting season is April through October. If
rain is falling in the morning, he does not ride.
“Summer rain feels nice in the afternoon,” Kruegel
said.
He travels mostly on trails, starting on the Cherry Creek trail
and continuing on the Centennial trail that runs along Colorado
Highway 470.
“I cross a few streets like Broadway and University, waiting for
the button,” he said. “It’s a relaxing ride that gets me energized
for the day.”
Kruegel starts work at 6:30 a.m., leaving his home at 5:20 a.m.
He chooses to wear cycling gear – clip-on shoes, jersey – and carry
a change of clothes in a back pack.
Work shoes stay at work.
Kruegel drives one day a week to give his legs a
break.
“I’m not that athletic,” he said. “I wasn’t a jock in high
school or anything.”
In Centennial, Brandon Angle, an information technology
professional, sets out to his job with the City of
Englewood.
His 9-mile commute is on busy streets and trails.
He compares crossing Belleview Avenue at University Drive to
playing the 1980s video game Frogger.
“I live in an RTD hole,” Angle said. “There isn’t bus service
and to ride to the train station takes about the same
time.”
Angle lives in a Call-n-Ride area without buses running on the
main roads.
Once Angle arrives, he stops at either the Englewood Recreation
Center on Oxford Aveune or Bally’s Fitness in City Center for a
shower.
“Everyone wants to save the planet, but they don’t want to smell
you in a meeting,” Angle said.
He parks his bike in his cubicle.
Leaving, he can be riding in twilight or later, since he works
four 10-hour days.
“Once I got off the path and into some neighborhood where I knew
not where I was,” Angle said.
Angle has four years of bike commuting under his belt, and he
rides two to three times a week, depending on the
weather.
“And how late I get up,” he said.
He started cycling to work in his own self-interest.
“I was really plump,” Angle said.
Now he rides on the weekends for fun.
Angle, Stanley and Kruegel are part of a growing number of bike
commuters.
The Denver Regional Council of Governments and the Regional
Transportation District have been promoting car-free Thursdays for
years, and June is Bike to Work Month, with a plethora of breakfast
stops and related events for Bike to Work Day June 25.
According to the 2000 census, about 9 percent of commutes in the
Denver area were made without cars.
Gas prices in 2000 averaged $1.55 per gallon for
midgrade.
On June 16 of this year, the average cost of a gallon of
midgrade gasoline was $4.06, with unleaded running 8 to 10 cents
less.
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Heading to Fort Collins? Borrow a
bike
Fort Collins is putting the mettle to the pedal with a bike
library that opened in April. FC Bike Library opened in April and
loans bike, tandem bikes, trailers for children or cargo, and
tagalongs – half bikes for children – for residents, Colorado State
University students and visitors to Fort Collins.
Lights, locks and helmets are included in a loan, and the
service is free, although borrowers must leave a credit card or
debit card number to make sure everything comes back.
For more information, see
www.fcgov.com/bicycling/library.php.
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Rules of the Road
Several laws govern cycling in Colorado.
In fact, the laws differentiate when a bicycle or even a
TerraTrike Cruiser is a vehicle or considered in the same light as
a pedestrian.
If the bike or trike is on a sidewalk, pedestrian rules
apply.
Once that cycle is on street, road rules apply.
Bicyclists have all the rights and duties of any other vehicle
driver and can be penalized for violating traffic laws.
Ride on the right, never ride against traffic.
Ride in the right lane, except when passing another vehicle,
preparing for a left turn or avoiding hazards.
Ride on paved shoulders and bike lanes when present and free of
hazards.
Obey traffic laws, signs, and signals.
Ride no more than two abreast, returning to single-file if
riding two abreast would impede the flow of traffic.
On curving canyon roads without bike lanes or shoulders, play it
safe and ride single file.
Use hand signals to indicate left or right turns, slowing or
stopping.
Use a headlight, taillight, and side reflectors at
night.
Act like a vehicle on the roads. Bicycles have the same rights
and responsibilities.
Never assume motorists see you or that you have the right of
way.
On sidewalks, yield to pedestrians.
Wear safety equipment to protect yourself: helmet, glasses and
gloves.
Expect the unexpected; your first responsibility is to be
safe.
Source: www.dot.state.co.us
———————
What to take with you
Bike
Go simple – you won’t need bells and whistles in traffic. Bikes
for as little as $50 are offered on Craigslist. If you buy a used
bike, pay for a tune-up before you put many miles on it. Have a
repair kit aboard with an air pump, extra tube, hex wrench and
patch kit, but keep it to the essentials. Check your bike each
weekend: tires, chain, brakes and other cables, tightness of quick
releases.
Helmet
This is not optional. Get a helmet. Your hair will survive. Want
a distinctive brain basket? See www.nutcasehelmets.com out of
Portland, Ore. It’s one of the few lines that’s multisport, and can
be used for skateboarding, snow boarding and the commute. Do not
use a regular ski or skateboard helmet on a bike.
Route
www.bikedenver.com
From downloadable maps to maps for sale, these folks have all
you need, from a program that works with Google Earth and
Geobiking.org to map your route on or off roads.
The Denver Bicycle Touring Club map also is available at most
bike shops.
Extras
Panniers or day pack to carry what you need. A tire-repair
minikit to get you there. A water bottle because we live in a
semi-arid environment.
Once you arrive
Commuters have a couple options if they want to wear nonwork
clothes to ride. Keep a set (or five) of work attire in your desk
or bring in a change daily. Even if your commute is short enough to
allow a ride in office attire, have a set of extras in case you
take a spill and rip your clothes.
Clean up
If you don’t have shower access, consider baby wipes in a
zipper-top bag with a couple ounces of witch hazel or rubbing
alcohol and a few drops of your cologne, perfume or
aftershave.
Compiled by Robyn Lydick