Fort Collins is always mentioned in conjunction with beer, bikes,
mountains, sunshine, and choice places for all-around living. What you may find
surprising is the prevalence of flat streets and bikeways throughout which
makes a gentle pedal rather attractive. Even when the snow flies, biking can be
attractive because the bikeways are plowed long before the priority streets are
clear for cars.
Bike to work day, which is a national event in May as part of
national Bike Month, has become a semi-annual unofficial holiday for Fort
Collins. Here bike to work day is during the third week of June, and the third
week of December. Both attract all varieties of creativity in organizing
breakfast stations, mechanical support, and end-of-day after-parties at
participating breweries. Normally about 6% of commuters choose to bike: during
summer bike to work day, the percentage of bike commuters easily doubles. Here
are a few quick, fun facts about Fort Collins’ bike to work day:
- Over 100 businesses host a bike-to-work-day event
- Around 50 breakfast stations scattered across town
- 4,500+ participants on bikes
- 25% of those participants already commute by bike on a regular basis
- 60% are age 30 or older
This year Leisurely Pedaling participated as an “unofficial mild-mechanical
support station” at Colorado State University’s Powerhouse campus as part of
their on-going effort to encourage and support bike commuting among their
community of students, professors, and professional researchers. Even in our
unofficial capacity, we helped a steady stream of riders improve their commute!- inflate tires
- adjust brakes and shifting
- advise maintenance fixes like new tires, brake pads, and replaced chains
- clean and lube chains
- compare route notes
Cheers for now,
Adventure Jes
