Boulder Cycling

Buffalo Bicycle Classic Canceled!

Submitted by Kris Thompson on

News Item: 

From www.buffalobicycleclassic.com/

In cooperation with Boulder County and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the organizers of the Buffalo Bicycle Classic have agreed not to hold the annual fund-raising event on Sept. 12, 2010.

Both the county and the BBC are concerned about the ride’s potential to impede emergency crews who are stationed near or accessing the fire from several points along the Buffalo Bicycle Classic route: Firefighting crews are encamped at Boulder Reservoir, and they gain access to the fire from U.S. Highway 36.

Additionally, the BBC is concerned about already-overtaxed law-enforcement personnel who would be asked to monitor the ride, and it is concerned about the air quality for the riders.

The Buffalo Bicycle Classic will inform registered riders by email today that the ride will not occur on Sunday. The BBC committee will meet this weekend to discuss next steps, and it will have more detailed and specific answers to riders’ questions early next week. Check this page next week for answers to your questions!

Because the ride generates so much needed scholarship support for good students in the University of Colorado College of Arts and Sciences, the BBC’s organizers worked diligently to find a way to hold the event without impinging upon the critical work of firefighters. Having found no such solution, the BBC has canceled Sunday’s ride.

The BBC sincerely regrets the inconvenience and deeply appreciates the community’s longstanding support.

Buffalo Classic helps with CU scholarships

Submitted by Kris Thompson on

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From the Daily Camera

When University of Colorado grad Marta Kostelny received a letter saying she'd been awarded a scholarship by the Buffalo Bicycle Classic, she was surprised since she hadn't applied for one.

"When I got it, I questioned, did this go to the right person?" she asked.

As a student paying her way through work and loans, the scholarship -- one of 102 awarded to arts and sciences students in need with good grades -- was very helpful, she said.

Movement Bike -- creating the $10 bike!

Submitted by Kris Thompson on

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Learn More at www.movement-bikes.com

Another inspiring Boulder organization working on creating the equivalent to the $100 laptop. Marius Klee, a personal friend of mine, is heading up Movement Bike to help create the $10 bike. Why is this important? Learn more from Marius himself.

[303Cycling] Is your organization doing the same thing as the $100 laptop?

[Marius] The idea is very similar to the $100 laptop, "One Laptop Per Child", by Nicholas Negroponte, but for transportation. Bicycles serves as fundamental way of mobility in developing countries, as well as Europe or the US, but the main entry barrier is the price. Our long term goal is to scale our project in such a way that we can significantly reduce the cost of the bicycle and empower more people that way.

[303Cycling] How did you get started in this?

[Marius] Every summer throughout college I traveled with NGOs to developing countries (China, Nepal, India, Africa) to volunteer. Studying economics, I researched what tools can be very beneficial and improve the economy. Transportation and mobility are fundamental in our lives, whether it's the transportation of goods, or saving time, or simply being more efficient. I'm motivated by the good that we can bring to people by giving them quality products at low prices. Bicycles have such widespread effects from increased income to lower teen pregnancies (due to the improved economic situation within a family, parents can allow their kids to go to school, which reduces teens getting married early, reduces HIV spread, and creates a more educated population). It is a very powerful tool.

[303Cycling] How far along are you?

Open Space Department Grapples with Allowing Bikes on Trails West of Boulder

Submitted by David on

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There was a guest opinion about this at end of June. Here is an article in todays Daily Camera.

By the start of 1983, a new kind of outdoor recreation craze was sweeping Boulder.

"Recently, bicycles -- on streets and on trails -- have taken on a new style," an opinion columnist wrote in the Jan. 16, 1983, edition of the Daily Camera. "'Clunkers,' 'stump jumpers,' or 'trail bicycles' are marvelous creations of strong flexible frames, low gears and broad, knobby tires."

These newfangled "mountain bicycles" were perfect for snowy streets, dirt roads and trails. And during the first years of the '80s, so-called stump jumpers were cruising along some of the best trails the city of Boulder had to offer.

The opinion column in early 1983 went on to predict an explosion in people wanting to try this new kind of biking -- and an increase in the impacts: "As clunker numbers increase, so will the pressure on our delicate open space and wilderness trails, unless we act now to redirect their use."

Fog Coat to be Applied to Chip Sealed Roads

Submitted by David on

News Item: 

I am not sure this is good news or bad. I am definitely going to avoid these roads for a while.

Fog coat to be applied to chip sealed roads

Boulder County, Colo. – Beginning this Tuesday, Sept. 7, the Boulder County Transportation Department will apply a fog coat to three roads that were recently chip sealed. Fog coat is a petroleum-based material that helps level the surface of a chip-sealed roadway, providing a smoother ride for motorists and cyclists.

Fog coat schedule:
• Sept. 7-8: Nelson Road from U.S. 36 to 75th Street
• Sept. 8-9: Olde Stage Road from Lee Hill Drive to Lefthand Canyon
• Sept. 9-10: Cherryvale Road from Baseline Road to State Highway 170

To minimize traffic delays, the fog coat applications will take place between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Message boards are in place to provide advance warning and flagging crews will manage traffic at each location. Schedules are subject to change due to weather and other factors. Visit www.BoulderCounty.org/Transportation for updates.

Poaching Valmont Bike Park

Submitted by Kris Thompson on

News Item: 

Not Cool! Got this emailed to me today

The Parks staff contacted us today and there were two different groups of riders poaching Valmont today. Unfortunately, the riders did not even stick to the trails and rode through areas that were graded and prepped for seeding. This caused some damage and the city is pissed off. Money is really tight, and the money to repair this comes out of the bike park.Â

It would be a bad idea to form a lynch mob to find the riders, we need to put a clear message out that this is unacceptable, and the city will prosecute anyone caught riding on the site before it is open. Please post the message below (or pen your own) on FB, blogs, etc to get the word out. If we do not nip this in the bud, the problems will get bad.

"Valmont Bike Park is NOT open yet. Riders poaching the park were on the site today, and caused damage to the site. The damage caused will delay the park, and anyone caught riding on site will be prosecuted by the city. Very poor form was demonstrated by these riders and reflects negatively on BMA and the community. If you are thinking about sneaking over the fence for a preview, get ready for a date with the judge, our friends at the Parks Department have issued a very stern warning. The Parks Department is bending over backwards to expedite the construction and provide a great riding/racing/training facility, and we are making their job harder."

Riding Venus de Miles for the first time

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

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On Saturday, August 29, I joined more than 1,800 other women and a few men dressed in drag to ride Venus de Miles through Longmont and Niwot. We were launched to pumping music, treated to a scenic route and surrounded by camaraderie. The three-year-old event, which was Colorado's first, women-only ride, tripled its inaugural turnout. It wasn't hard to see why.

The Venus de Miles ride raises money for Boulder-based Greenhouse Scholars. As it was explained to us before we hit the roads, only about 11 percent of disadvantaged college entrants graduate. Our society places a great deal of emphasis on graduating students from high school and getting them into college, but then most of them are left to their own devices. Greenhouse Scholars nurtures Colorado residents throughout their higher education years, helping them get scholarships, internships and jobs with the hope they will become community leaders rather than college dropouts.

Coming from Texas, I have participated in many organized rides, large and small. Needless to say, those events didn't feature organic foods, coconut water, compost bins and banjo-playing bands at rest stops. Don't get me wrong - I love a good peanut butter sandwich when riding, but the granola with yogurt and chocolate soy milk were unique twists. The post-ride German sausage I have come to love was replaced by grilled chicken, mixed-greens salad and honey-wheat roll, leaving me feeling like I didn't destroy my workout with lunch.

I was also impressed by the turnout due to the steep entrance fee of $79-$115, depending on what date a person registered to ride. Even though the money went toward a great cause (the ride expected to raise $100,000 for Greenhouse Scholars), these are tough economic times. Trying to budget several hundred dollars per season for rides and races can quickly become a challenge. Despite the high entrance fee, there was no shortage of young and old, experienced and beginner, wings and feather boas and colorful striped socks.

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