Wednesday - Jersey Ride THURSDAY - le Tour DQ! & Chicken Dance Video

Howdy!

Welcome to Tuesday night! Just 24 hours until the next installment of Bike Night kicks off. We began last week at 4th & Terry. This was the first start from a different location in over 10 years. I'd say it went pretty well. Thank you to everyone who found the location and to those of you way-finders who found us.

Last week as you know was our Flash Mob Bike Ride and I'd say it went swimmingly. The counts for riders were upward to 180ish people. Nice work. I've posted the chicken dance video from Youtube! Enjoy.

Bike Night - 2013

BIKE NIGHT - WEDNESDAY
This week we do our part as bike riders to celebrate the le Tour de EPO, errr, I mean France. Therefore, you are encouraged to dawn your best lycra,jersey, or otherwise (Bronco's, Nuggets, Rockies, Rapids, the Lacrosse team, USA Pro Jersey whatever) and join us on Wednesday night.

I am going to try and piece together something with Bob Roll and Phil Leggit, so wish me luck.....


ON THURSDAY!!
Because so much of everything revolving around "THE" tour could be likened to a circus, we might as well have fun, too! So Bike Night, Bicycle Longmont and DQ are presenting the first ever le Tour DQ. (It's funny. You should be laughing now!).

We will begin at Roosevelt Park somewhere between the Senior Center and the Memorial Building at 6:30pm. Why not 4th & Terry? Because we didn't include non-Bike Night's in our insurance rider. So, we're back to Roosevelt for this one time special ride.

PLEASE Bring or get a headlight for your bike, especially for the kids, and helmets are encouraged. The ride will be longer than Bike Night and we will finish later than typical.

le Tour DQ will be about 13 miles probably a little more with weaving and random departures from the route. Follow the previous link to view the most likely route. We will swing pass Roosevelt on our way south to the Hover DQ. At that time - Parents, guardians, friends, countrymen, with kids, needing a break, can bail out early. Otherwise - we will be on our way south to the Ken Pratt Boulevard/Hover DQ!

We will depart the south DQ destined for our end point - the downtown DQ.

Disclaimer - you do not need to buy ice cream at every stop, or, at any of the stops. Like Bike Night - there is no need to spend money to have fun on a bike.

PRIZES
We will have coupons for free blizzards - AND - we'll have some other cool things for people to win. 

We will have a prize for 
Best lit bike, 
Best Costume 
Most creative use of the term French! (Remember, there will be kids there......) 

Until I remember some other detail...... We'll see you tomorrow night at 6:30pm for BIKE NIGHT! 

POLKA Flash Mob ride - Wednesday July 10th.

Greetings,

First things first - Bike Night is moving! We will no longer start at Roosevelt Park. After 10 years, Bike Night has gotten too large for Longmont's largest urban park. SO, we will begin anew at the Times-Call Parking lot at 4th & Terry Street. The meeting time and the routes will remain mostly the same. So please make a note of it.

Secondly - This Wednesday is the Red. White. & POLKA Ride! This will also be our "flash mob" ride of the season. We will perform the chicken dance at Martini's and later at the Left Hand Brewery. If you don't know how to do the chicken dance - learn the chicken dance from Lawrence Welk's own Myron, here.

Lastly - Have fun and we'll see you Wednesday Night!

Ryan

Tomorrow is BIKE TO & FROM WORK DAY!

Happy Tuesday!

We're excited for several reasons today!
1. Thank you KGNU for a wonderful story about Bike Night. Did you miss it? Don't worry. We'll post a link to the story/audio file, soon!

2. Tomorrow is Bike to Work Day! Longmont has many stations to get you to work, fat & happy. I'm pretty sure if you make it to all stops you won't realize any caloric benefit.... but you will be happier and  ready to take on the day. Which, I think, is important.

3. Biking home should be just as much fun, too! Oskar Blues Brewery, Left Hand Brewing and the Pumphouse Brewery will have awesome deals for cyclists tomorrow and the Pumphouse (lovingly referred to as the "Pumpzone") will play host to "Pre-Bike Night!" We plan to meet at the Pumpzone at 5pm tomorrow night to hang out and enjoy a beverage prior to Bike Night.

Bring the kids - the Pumpzone has video games and air hockey.

4. We will celebrate Bike to Work Day in 1980's style, too. Wear your best 80's attire and join us. Pre-Bike Night starts at 5pm. Bike Night meets at 6:30pm and we'll get rolling at about 6:45p. We meet at 910 Longs Peak Avenue, Roosevelt Park - G'Knight Ride HQ!

It's Bike Week!

Greetings Bike Nighters!

This week there is a lot going on, and it all culminates on Saturday with Bicycle Longmont's 3rd Annual G'Knight Ride. Bicycle Longmont is extremely excited to bring this great event back this year. We are even more excited to have the start/finish at Roosevelt Park in beautiful Old Town Longmont.

If you have friends coming to ride, or your traveling here. I guarantee you'll have a great time rolling around our gorgeous shaded streets. Speaking of cruising, Wednesday night we'll be celebrating 3 years of G'Knight Ride awesomness.

The ride theme is: G'Bike Night! We will be celebrating by wearing green and/or white. The playlist will include the bands you will hear at the G'Knight Ride. Plus we're working on a surprise at Sunset Golf Course.

So come along with us on Wednesday. We meet at Roosevelt Park at 6:30pm and start rolling about 6:45pm. Our ride this week will be on the Westside of Old Town with a brief circle of the Historic East Side Neighborhood.

Come on out and Join US!

Other events going on in BIKEmont during Bike Week include:

Tuesday night the Tuesday Night Concerts in the Park start up again. Tomorrow night will be the Indulgers. A celtic rock band that is always entertaining.

Wednesday night - BIKE NIGHT - but of course you knew that. Last week we had 180 people join us. Come out and help us set a new record and wear green and/or white!

Thursday - Bicycle Longmont and our partners Twin Peaks Mall, Sanitas Sports, Whole Foods Market and Ideal Market are back with another week of fast paced action. Join us at the Twin Peaks Mall for crit racing. This is a fun and exciting family-friendly event to watch. Pick up a dinner and bring it along.

Friday - Is a great night to come to Longmont early. There are hotel deals at the Best Western Plaza.

We begin the G'Knight Ride celebration early with an open Bike Art reception at the Firehouse Art Gallery beginning after 6pm. The Firehouse Art Gallery is located at 4th Avenue and Coffman Street downtown Longmont.

Following the reception the Retro Sonics will take the stage at Longmont's weekly free downtown concert series.  The Retro Sonics play a great line up of 80's & 90's cover songs.


Saturday is the G'Knight Ride. The G'Knight Ride is a family friendly cruiser ride around Longmont. We bill it as Longmont's celebration of cycling! Every year this ride has grown bigger, better and awesomer!

This year we will have a 1 mile, 3 mile and a 10 mile ride. We will also have a great line-up of world class rock! Join us for Boulder County's own Wires Crossed. This up and coming band is sure to go places. They have a familiar pop feel and are awesome. We will also feature the regionally successful Last Men on Earth.

Last Men on Earth

Wendy Woo Band

Don't shave your mullet. You'll be right at home during this set. Last Men play the best 90's hair covers, ever. If hair metal is your guilty pleasure -you'll be joined by more than 3,000 other people in your support group. These guys rock!

Wendy Woo makes her return to the big stage this year. Wendy Woo was our first act at the first G'Knight Ride. Having Wendy back will be fantastic too. Her music is great rock that puts out an awesome vibe. Come on out and experience Denver's own Wendy Woo!

Family of the Year

Headlining is Family of the Year. Family of the Year is on the Lollapalooza tour this summer. Bicycle Longmont and KBCO are excited to welcome this great rockin' folk to our main stage. Family's sound is similar to Fun., Lumineers, Shins and Of Monsters and Men. They come to us on the heels of the their current chart hit - Hero.

Proposed Pedestrian and Bicycling Fund

Goodmorning, Everyone.

This morning, Saturday, check out the Times-Call's website they've put together a brief article explaining the proposed Pedestrian and Bicycling Fund we've been working on.

The Pedestrian and Bicycling fund is something Bicycle Longmont has put together in collaboration with City staff. Together, we think we can raise the bar for biking and walking in Longmont. See below for more details on our proposal.

If you believe in this, please join us Tuesday night at City Council at 7pm. Civic Center, 350 Kimbark Street.

The Pedestrian and Bicycling Fund - What is it?

Bicycle Longmont, together with City of Longmont staff, have been working together, collaboratively, to create a Pedestrian and Bicycling Safety Fund.

The premise is: Cyclists and Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users. And when motorists, cyclists and pedestrians make poor choices, often times there are accidents and injuries.

How do we correct this? By creating a Pedestrian and Bicycling Safety fund - Longmont will have the resources to provide a stable source to change behavior by funding pedestrian, bicycling and driver's education projects and programs. 

The fund's focus is to promote education through existing programs including driver's education, Bicycling safety classes, and by creating or reviving previous programs including a headlight/taillight program, helmet program, educational outreach, bike rodeo's, and funding community identified projects through the Safe Routes to School Programs. 

The fund will also help promote Longmont as a desirable place for active events and make these events safer.

Publicly permitted events concentrate pedestrians/runners and Cyclists on our streets. Event organizers will have the opportunity to apply to the fund. A portion of the fund will be set aside to offset or defray the costs associated with increasing the safety of these on-road events. These include safety barriers, cones, signage, and hiring off-duty police officers and emergency personnel.  

Who pays for this fund? Motorists AND Cyclists who cause accidents. 

This fund is not a tax. 

What is a surcharge?

A surcharge is an amount of money added to a ticket. The surcharge's purpose has to be related to the behavior that is ticketed.  

The fund, as proposed, would add a $10 surcharge to moving violations (tickets) that are written as a result of an accident. Cyclists as well as motorists would be required to pay the surcharge if ticketed. 

The fund would also add a $30 surcharge to tickets received in School Zones or occurring on course, during a publicly permitted event. School zone surcharges would help fund Safe Routes to School programs and to increase safety in School Zones. 

Is this program legal? More research is required. Previously we stated it was legal however after conversations with the City Attorney we've agreed more research is necessary. Having said that, Longmont added a surcharge to some violations to fund the Victim's Advocacy Program. The fund we're proposing uses the same groundwork to create the Pedestrian and Bicycling Safety Fund. 

How much money could be raised for these purposes? 

Last year the City of Longmont Police Department wrote approximately 2,500 tickets that were the result of an accident.  If the $10 surcharge were in place in 2012 the fund would have generated $25,000 for Pedestrian and Bicycling Safety programs. 

Is this really a first for the USA?

Yes, Longmont would be the first city in the USA to fund Bicycling and Walking programs this way. The fund as proposed is based on Washington State's program. Washington has a surcharge added to violations occurring in School Zones. This surcharge is collected by the State and returned through grants (approximately $1 million/year) to municipalities and school districts to make school zones safer.

C'mon, this is Longmont. Is this really necessary?

Bicycle Longmont believes this fund is necessary. Increasingly there are more people riding and walking in Longmont. During recent City studies biking and walking continue to rank in the top 5 most popular ways people get around town. Also, each year a cyclist is killed because he or she was riding on the left (wrongside of the road) or because they didn't know the "rules of the road". We believe creating a fund that supports reaching out to road users, especially cyclists and pedestrians is important and supports the investment and taxes we, the citizens of Longmont, have paid to create our system of streets, bike lanes, trails and greenways. 

The full council communication can be found here: 
http://webapp.ci.longmont.co.us/cache/2/km5luxfwaizddu20morwfrrz/21936500531201303095718.PDF 

Hawaiian Shirt Night!

Aloha!
Tomorrow Bike Night’s theme will be: “Hawaiian Shirt Night!”  Join us for this colorful ride. If you don’t have a Hawaiian shirt wear the loudest patterned shirt you own.

Our route will take us back into West Old Town. We will have a great time trolling the streets, parks and alleys on our way up to Sunset Pool.

Looking forward, we’ll have another flash mob coming up on June 12^th. Last year we did the “Electric Slide” this year get ready for the “Chicken Dance!”. The theme will be “June-toberfest”. Come ride with us as we roll to the very best polka Spotify has to offer!

Also – the G’Knight Ride is coming up on June 15^th. We’re really pushing to get folks registered in advance. That way the day of the event will go much more smoothly and you won’t have to wait in line! Go to: www.gknightride.org to register.

See you tomorrow night at 6:30pm. Remember – no kids riding in the parking lot. If you get there early have your kids ride the Roosevelt loop.

Thanks!

Bike Night Sets New First Night Record!

Last week was probably one of the most fun Bike Nights I've been a part of. We had a record number of elementary kids on the ride, and they kept eachother in line! It was awesome!

Please parents, continue talking about bike safety with your kids! The kids were great last week. GOOD JOB!

Speaking of records, we had more than 213 people join us on the first Bike Night. The early rain came and went leaving us the opportunity to ride the streets of Old Town in style!

We had the first ride with the new audio rocket. We're making a few changes to it that will limit the disruption of audio goodness. Tomorrow night the good times will roll!

As for our route - we will hit up the East Side! We'll start at Roosevelt Park, creep down Pratt to 4th Avenue then into the new alley. From there we will meander east to Rocky Mountain School, then back west.

This route uses primarily neighborhood streets with a brief time on Longs Peak Avenue. If you're curious about the route, click on the tab above that shows all our routes.

Also - new this year. Feel free to post your favorite routes. The only rule is that the route has to be 6 - 8 miles, with a Roosevelt Park starting point.

See you tomorrow night!

Ryan

TONIGHT: Bike Night kicks off our 10th Season!

Bike Night 2011

Here it is the first day of our 10th season, and I'm filled with anticipation!

It's this time each year when I wonder - What will I say during the pre-bike night discussion - what minutia will I need to mention. What announcements will I need to make. What important detail will I forget? Do I really need to cover the rules of Bike Night - again? I pray no one gets hurt this year. What if no one shows up?

There is a crazy amount of insecurity that comes out the night before any big event. I remember feeling this way before I'd go off to a football game in high school, prior to a cross country race in Jr. High, or even the night before the Boulder Marathon. What if? What if? What if?

What I realized is that stuff will make you crazy. Bike Night is a great event and draws people from across Longmont and from the surrounding towns. Whether you've found this blog because you're looking for an alternative to Boulder's ride, because your child is finally able to hold their head up and is old enough for a bike trailer, or may be you've recently moved to Longmont and are yearning to get out and meet like-minded people.

Bike Night is that outlet. We're not a booze cruise - entirely. We usually work a brewery or two in to the ride a few times a season. What we are is a community of cyclists out having fun. We don't obey every street sign and every rule of the road, but we do make sure everyone is safe.

I sometimes get an earful from folks who get upset when we don't stop for every stop sign or yield when we're supposed to. I have to remind those folks - do they ALWAYS come to a complete stop when driving their car? Do they ever roll through stop signs, change lanes or turn without signaling, do they ALWAYS wear a seatbelt? Probably not.



Bike Night is intent on drawing the greatest number of people to the greatest ride in Longmont. We do that through making the ride as fun as possible while keeping the group as safe as possible. To that end we want you to be aware - training wheels are highly discouraged. Tricycles and scooters are not allowed. Parents should know their kid's abilities when riding on streets.

Older kids tend to find there way to the front of the pack. I'm usually upfront with all the kids. I'm cool with it, really. However, if your child insists on racing ahead, I will politely ask them to remain with the group. If they race ahead more than twice I will ask them to rejoin their parents in the group. If your child poses a risk to themselves or to the group - I will ask the parent to discuss the problem with their child. I view kids riding in the front of the group as a fun thing. However, if they aren't able to handle it, I will ask them to rejoin their parents. If the behavior persists I will ask the parents to address the issue and perhaps forgo one or two rides.

Having said that we typically hold one or two kids bike nights each year. These are times where we have a bicycling instructor work with Bike Night Kids to be safe and to ride with respect. These nights are a lot of fun and help to build confidence.

I hope you will join us tonight. Bike Night is a lot of fun and we always meet at 6:30p and start riding at about 6:40. We meet at Roosevelt Park in Old Town Longmont - 900 Longs Peak Avenue.

Ryan