Apologies for an ill-spent Summer.....

This week marks the last Bike Night for the 2014 season.

The Longmont Bike Night Blog.is set as my homescreen. So every morning I see it and think to my self - "Gotta update that thing..."

Clearly, I didn't.

I know a lot of you get your BN info from this blog and I hope you accept my sincerest apologies. Next year.... will be better.

So - please join us this Wednesday for the final Bike Night. We meet at the flagpoles in Roosevelt Park at 6:30pm. Being that this is the last Bike Night we'll probably go somewhere afterward, too. So bring some cash.

Thanks for a good summer and a great Bike Night season!

Ryan

Bike Month Wrap Up!

Today marks the end of a HISTORIC coloRADo Bike Month. Read on to learn more about the awesome things you helped us do!

First the Bike Longmont Board of Directors want to send out a heartfelt THANK YOU, to everyone who took advantage of our programs, services or fun filled events this month!
  
Together we crammed: A history making City Council meeting, Oskar Blues Brewery's Burning Can, Bicycle Longmont's G'Knight Ride Left Hand Brewing Company’s Culture Jam, 5 Longmont Bike Night's, 6 Bike Valet events, 3 Saturday morning cruises, and Colorado Bike (and take your bacon) to Work Day into one month. AND, we supported the growing Kinetics at Union Reservoir.

 

During Bike Month we continued our regional activism, too! During June we helped Bike Fort Collins launch - Fort Collins' first Bike Night. They call it the Family and Bikes ride or FAB Ride for short!

We worked with Bike Carbon Valley 's Tour de Flight in Frederick to provide bike valet racks.

Bike Longmont did a fair amount of fundraising this month, too. With the help of the Colorado Beer Trail, Bootstrap Brewing Company and Left Hand Brewing Company we were able to turn beer in to bike money for our programs.

Through your participation in the G’Knight Ride we were able to raise money to support Longmont’s FIRST community based non-profit bike shop. The Longmont Bike Garage which will support an Earn-a-Bike program, bike rentals (including tag-a-longs) and the Kid’s Holiday Bike program, too.
Lastly – and possibly most importantly,- Bike Longmont made history this month.

After a year of hard work our tenacious efforts paid off. In June, Bicycle Longmont successfully created the Longmont Traffic Safety Fund.Through the support of City Council, Advocacy Advance, Bicycle Colorado, and the City Manager’s office, Longmont will have a fund that will provide ongoing funding for road safety programs to make our streets safer for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists!

Wow - That's a lot, BUT we need your help. In order to continue being successful we need more volunteers. Specifically we need volunteers to help with our Bike Vale service. Bike Valet volunteers typically enjoy connecting with the community and sometimes food & beer during brewery events. 

Bike Valet is easy and you can volunteer whenever it fits your schedule. Shifts are generally 2 hours and you're paired with a veteran, too.

We hope you'll consider helping us out. Bike Valet is Bike Longmont's most visible and substantive outreach service. If you're interested email us through info@bicyclelongmont.org.

Thanks for a great, historic Bike Month!

GKR 2014

G'KNIGHT RIDE IS TODAY!

SEE YOU THERE!

www.gkride.com

Git Yer TWANG on, Fort Collins Bike Night and GKR 2014!

Tonight's theme is Denim & Diamonds or Country & Western! Grab your #Coloradotuxedo and join us, 6:30pm Roosevelt Park near the flagpoles. Also - download the app "Glympse" to find us on the route. This app is great for finding Bike Night if you arrive late.

In other news, for all our fans in Fort Collins, Bike Night Fort Collins will launch on June 12th! Their ride's name is Families and Bikes or the FAB Ride! We're excited to be partnering with our friends if FoCo to launch this ride.

They will ride the second Thursday of each month. June's ride will meet at Spring Park in College Heights neighborhood at 6pm. Tell your friends in Fort Collins to attend.

Also - G'Knight Ride is NEXT WEEK! Are you registered? This year's band line up is AWESOME! We have the Freddy Jones Band ( check the video here), Fort Collins' THUNK and a host of other great talent. Join us June 14th at Roosevelt Park for our "Annual Celebration of Cycling".

See you tonigtht and next week!

May 21st, Bike Night will observe the National Ride of Silence.

We're asking riders to wear white t-shirts. The ride will meet at 6:30pm at Roosevelt Park near the flag poles on the east end of the park.

The ride will depart Roosevelt between 6:30 & 6:40. We will have music and carry on until 7pm. At 7pm the music will be shut off, and the rest of the ride will continue in silence.

We will pause at the top of Sunset Hill & Sunset Golf Course for a moment of silence. Then continue east through Old Town.

May 14th, 2014 we will be back, back in black, celebrating a decade of decadence! Join us at 6:30pm in Roosevelt Park near the flag pole/turnaround.

Ryan

Subtle reminder. In case anyone was wondering or had forgotten! 

See you in 4 Weeks!

Annual Party and Bike Night Returns

 I want to invite all y'all to the Bike Longmont Annual shin-dig at Left Hand Brewery tomorrow afternoon (3/16/2014) from 3-5pm.

It's going to be fun and we'll update you on what we've got going on this summer. We're going to have a great time. Join us!

One other thing, Bike Night returns 5/14/2014!

Click here for the link to the Bicycle Longmont presentation given at the Colorado Bike Summit.

TIME TO RIDE!

Football & Bikes?

Besides being sports and major pastimes for many Coloradans, Bike Longmont saw the Bronco’s win, as an opportunity to reach Bronco fans who, may or may not ride regularly.  The Orange Ride is a fun, laid back way to have fun and get a little rowdy on a Wednesday night.

There are a lot of folks who enjoy cycling and football. Bringing the two together to support the Bronco’s seemed like a good idea. Bicycle Longmont prides itself on taking a non-traditional approaches to getting more people on the road.

Since 2010 Bike Longmont added Longmont Bike Night. Since then the two have done some pretty cool things. The Orange Ride is just another in a long and fun list.  

Why craft beer. 

If you’ve followed Longmont Bike Night you know Left Hand is a favorite stop and Oskar Blues is a storied supporter of  It seemed to make sense to include Longmont’s favorite craft breweries in our ride.

Bike Night and the G’Knight Ride. Also – in an interview Payton Manning mentioned he’d have a Bud Light following the interview. Colorado is the epicenter of craft brewing in the nation.

Headlights are needed and helmets encouraged for adults and required for kids.

Route & Timing:

There will be stops along the way, but the ride IS family-friendly and free. We encourage you to bring your family to Cyclhops at 5:00pm with the ride leaving  at 5:30pm on Wednesday the 29^th. However, if you have elementary or younger children, we ask that you meet us at Roosevelt Park at 7pm. We will take a safe route along Dry Creek greenway to Twin Peaks Mall, then east to Price Road and on to Left Hand for a brief stop before climbing into Old Town. If you venture with us from Southwest Longmont the ride will easily top 15 miles.  Joining us at Roosevelt Park will put the ride easily within the range for elementary kids. We will finish before 8pm ending at Breaker’s downtown at 4^th & Main Street.

What if I can’t make it? Is anyone else doing this?

The Orange ride is more than just Longmont. Bike Longmont reached out to other social rides across Colorado. We are urging people who’ve participated in the G’Knight Ride, Longmont Bike Night, Boulder’s Happy Thursday Ride, Pueblo Cruiser Rides, Buena Vista Cruisers, and the Denver Cruiser Ride to do their own Orange Ride and publicize it through social media.

While the big game may come around every year, our team and state pride, only gets one shot at a win every now and then. If you’re into cycling and cannot make the Longmont Orange Ride, do your own thing. The next two weekends look great for biking in the cul-de-sac, downtown or to your favorite craft brewery.

How many people will show up on Wednesday the 29^th. At 7pm, Roosevelt Park?

1 more if you do, twice as many if you bring a friend!