Winter is coming to a close and for many that means time to pull the bikes back out and start commuting again but for many commuting is a year long commitment because that IS their primary form of transportation. The City of Boulder is going to launch a new campaign called Driven to Drive less in which this campaign challenges Boulder residents to dump their car and go carless. Sounds difficult and scary right? Wrong. Recently I purchased a book titled How to Live Well Without Owning a Car. In the book they talk about the destructive auto culture and true costs/savings of going car-less. The book covers all alternative modes of transportation but does dedicate an entire chapter to cycling. If you liked (or was moved by) the movie Food Inc then you should check that book out! Anyone can write about going car-less, so this series of stories will tell the stories of REAL Colorado citizens who have made the switch.

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Story 1, comes from Diana and Nick, they have even gone carless to bike races!

Yup! I have been doing all my work commuting and grocery shopping with the Xtracycle for a couple years now... It has huge compartments on the sides that are super easy to load, and I can definitely do a full week's shopping with it, fitting about three big grocery bags on each side. The bike parking is good at most grocery stores in Boulder, so post-shop I just wheel the shopping cart out to my bike and load it up, kickstand side first. My favorite part is definitely riding home with my baguette, flowers, and veggies peeping out the sides. The center of gravity is nice and low on the Xtracycle so the handling is great! It holds so much stuff that I can commute with a change of clothes and yoga mat for some evening downward dogs, then hit the grocery store on the way home. Having a cargo bike has definitely allowed me to run around town doing errands just like with a car, only the parking is easier and it is often much faster.

If you have a car-less story you'd like to share please let us know And for those who have already contacted us with your story THANKS, we will get you story out in this month long series!

From Trips for Kids Website
Trips for Kids BOULDER – Launching Summer 2010!

Our connection to Boulder is well established. We’ve been rolling and having fun riding with children in and around Boulder each and every year since our inaugural season in 2004. We know the kids. We know the youth agency staffers (many bike nuts themselves). We love Boulder! Thus, we are inspired and excited to create TFK Boulder for them and other underserved youngsters in Boulder County.

Photo Credit: Trips For Kids Denver

A few years ago, we started seriously chewing on the TFK Boulder idea. “Will it fly?” We asked our Boulder friends and youth agency staffers. The PG answer, in general, was a sarcastic, “Are you kidding me? This is Boulder.” True, true, TFK Boulder seemed like a no brainer, but last year as the economy tanked, we called off the TFKB dogs. Then our motivation and belief in this new endeavor percolated again over coffee last fall on a cold, snowy morning in Boulder with a local mountain biker and homebuilder, Tom Nasky. At that meeting we decided to team up with Tom and other like-minded Boulderites to establish TFK Boulder, giving children without means, in this bicycle-crazed town, the opportunity to ride, like the rest of them.

And here we are…TFK Boulder is a go! It’s a go people! Let’s kick this thing off right in Boulder with a proper party April 10th at the Boulder Velodrome

The first March Practice Criterium is in the books. I went out to check out the "A Race". It was a good size field and by the time I got there a break was off the front. Here are a few pictures I took.

Photo credit Lisa Fisher-Wade

GoBoulder is looking for you... or a friend you may know, that person who rides their bike not just for fitness but everywhere, to get groceries, ride to the dentist, ride to the movies even if that might be a date. If you are that person or you know this person then be sure to go to GOBoulder and nominate this person by March 12th with the winner announced March 19th. As a winner you will be featured on GO Boulder’s official Walk & Bike Month Web page and in GO Boulder’s "On the GO" newsletter. They also will serve as "Commuter of the Year" ambassadors who will make a few appearances encouraging others to consider walking, biking and transit instead of driving for getting to work, errands, school, shopping, entertainment, etc.