At this time, there are no special funds set aside for construction, but the County will use the plan as a guideline for future construction of bicycling facilities.

When the tweaks have been made and the final plan has been unveiled, it will be our job as bicycling advocates to ensure that the plan is just not shelved to gather dust. Such was the fate of a similar map, published in 1999, as part of the Countywide Transportation Plan.

We will be continuing our detailed analysis of the plan at our meeting this next Tuesday, February 7th. This time we will be focusing on the central and southern parts of the County.

For this one time, we have broken with our normal policy of meeting on the second Tuesday of the month. As this would have fallen on February 14th, the change has been made for diplomatic reasons.

See you at the meeting.

Dave Evans
Chair, Bike Jeffco

Note:  February meeting will be held at 7pm in the Jefferson County Administration Building.   Signs will be posted to lead you to the meeting room.

It is encouraging that Jefferson County is receiving plenty of feedback to its Bike/Ped plan. (If you haven’t seen it, visit www.jeffco.us/bike-plan.) This will be the blue print for the future bicycling network in Jefferson County.

At this time, there are no special funds set aside for construction, but the County will use the plan as a guideline for future construction of bicycling facilities.

When the tweaks have been made and the final plan has been unveiled, it will be our job as bicycling advocates to ensure that the plan is just not shelved to gather dust. Such was the fate of a similar map, published in 1999, as part of the Countywide Transportation Plan.

We will be continuing our detailed analysis of the plan at our meeting this next Tuesday, February 7^th. This time we will be focusing on the central and southern parts of the County.

For this one time, we have broken with our normal policy of meeting on the second Tuesday of the month. As this would have fallen on February 14^th, the change has been made for diplomatic reasons.

See you at the meeting.

n  Dave Evans

n  Chair, Bike Jeffco

In creating these maps, the Transportation Planning team made regional recommendations by incorporating various municipal bicycle and pedestrian plans. Using a regional approach, the bicycle and pedestrian facilities will be continuous and consistent in the cities, towns and unincorporated county areas.  An important feature of this plan is to utilize Kipling Street as a north-south multi-modal “backbone,” connecting to a ladder-style network of east-west connections.  No funding is currently available to implement the plan, but projects will be implemented as individual roadway corridors are developed.

This plan shows a long-term vision for Jefferson County and represents significant future investments.  Reviews and comments on the plan maps are being accepted through January 31, 2012, at www.jeffco.us/bike-plan. Please make your voice heard on this important plan.

For more information, contact Will Kerns, AICP Transportation Planner, at 303-271-8497 or wkerns@jeffco.us.

 Location – Jefferson County Admin Building, Golden. Buffalo Bill Dining Room

Agenda:

• 7:00pm Welcome, introductions, additions/changes to agenda, review August minutes/action items
• 7:10pm  Sheriff’s Blotter – Lt. Jim Lucas
• 7:20pm West Line (formerly known as West Corridor) Bikeway status report – Brenda Tierney, RTD.
• 7:45pm  West Line bikeway connection to Golden – Will Kerns
• 7:55pm  “Save the (Lariat) Loop” presentation – Norton/A.N.Other
• 8:15pm  US ProCycling Challenge Review – All
• 8:30pm – Project updates
  • Genesee/El Rancho link – Kelly
  • Deer Creek Canyon Challenge/Emergency Phones
  • SH93 (Golden – Boulder) Mike
• Any other business
• 8:55pm Action Items
• 9:00pm Close

Location – Jefferson County Admin Building, Golden. Rooms 1563/1564

 Agenda:

• 7:00pm Welcome, introductions, additions/changes to agenda, review July minutes/action items
• 7:10pm Project Updates
  • Pro Challenge Road Race – Jan/Bob
  • Deer Creek Canyon – Dave
  • SH93 (Golden – Boulder) Mike
  • Clear Creek County – Mike
• 7:25pm Sheriff’s Blotter – Lt. Jim Lucas
• 7:30pm Bicycle Lane Accommodation – Kevin
• 8:10pm County Update – Will
• 8:20pm Genesee – El Rancho Link
• 8:50pm Any Other Business
• 8:55pm Action Items
• 9:00pm Close

Attendees:   Bob Bettinger, John Danahey, Eileen McGinnity, Jan Stevenson, Dave Evans, Mike Raber,  Norton Ewart

Agenda Discussed:

1.     Project Updates
2.     County Update
3.     County Bike/Ped Plan Update
4.     Action Items

ACTION ITEMS FOR August 9^th MEETING

•    Dave will send email addresses to Jan
•    Dave send web site material to Norton
•    Mike Raber to set up meeting with Clear Creek County – Burt Weaver
•     Dave will send link to the DRCOG Metro Vision Regional Transport Plan
•     Eileen to meet with JCEAC Board re:  phone installations in Deer Creek Canyon
•     Norton to contact Kelly G re:  Genesee – El Rancho, see if we can meet next Tuesday 19^th for a GPS mapping of each segment

Project Updates

• SH93 (Golden – Boulder) & SH 72 (Coal Creek Canyon) Improvements – nothing new to report
• USA Pro Challenge Road Race
• Volunteers will hear directly from the USA Pro Challenge folks
• Majority of roles will be course marshalls
• Deer Creek Canyon
• 3 emergency phones are in place at firestations 1, 2 and 4
• El Rancho – Genessee
• Group rode the N side and the S side of the proposed trail; looking at soft trail on onse side and paved on the other
• Denver Mtn Parks is looking at northern route
• Bike Jeffco needs to decide as a group whether we are recommending N or S for the El Rancho Route
• Clear Creek County
• Bakerville to Loveland – 10 mile section is excellent
• CCC contacted local mountain bike groups to map the trails, and put these on a county map.  Mike Raber passed on info on color coding (road bikeways would have same color coding on levels of difficulty).  Dashed lines for mountain bike routes, and solid line for road bikes.
• Planned Squaw Pass repaving – cost of retaining walls prohibitive for the downhill side.  Mike says continued issues with cars not wanting to pass and go over the double yellow

Jefferson County Bike/Ped Transportation Update:  Will Kerns

•  Kevin French has accepted the latest version of the Bike/Ped plan

DRCOG:  Dave Evans

• Dave recommends we read the 2035 Metro Vision Regional Transportation Plan; will send us the link.
• Whatever Jefferson County does has to fit within the regional plan

Renew Alliance for Biking and Walking membership – group agreed.

Bike Jeffco Logo – Norton will turn to designer with the three versions that we liked.

On August 27th 250 Amateur riders will be invited to race against the clock and each other while they compete to be the King (and Queen) of Lookout Mountain and experience one of the Front Range’s premier climbs. Categories will be broken out depending on age, gender and experience. The following day, you will be able to watch the pros suffer on the same climb, knowing you have already conquered the toughest part of the last stage.

Click here for complete details

Comments from Dave Evans, Bike Jeffco Chair:

Riding my regular 22 mile commute to downtown Denver on Bike to Work day, I counted over 180 participants riding in the reverse direction along the Platte Trail. I lost count of those taking advantage of the refreshment stops en route.

The density of bicycles along some of the narrower sections got me thinking that our current bikeway system is woefully inadequate for any major increase in commuter usage. While downtown access from some directions is good (south and southwest), it is less attractive from others (north and east).

Coincidentally, the most recent report on obesity in the country ranked Colorado with the lowest obesity rate of 19.8% – a figure nobody can be proud of. A comment from one of the authors notes that local government has, in general, done a good job in providing facilities for exercise such as recreational centers and bikeways. It is now up to people to use them.

The two daily workouts of bicycle commuting make it a great way to exercise. Yet less than 1% of commute journeys are made by bicycle in Colorado. If a modest goal of 5% – a figure already surpassed in some European countries – were be set for our State, considerable improvements in infrastructure would be needed. A CDOT survey identified the major reasons why people do not commute by bicycle as safety in traffic and lack of shoulders and off-road bikeways.

The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) has ambitious long term plans for reducing the number of SOV (single occupancy vehicle) commute journeys. Bikeways are in their plans for doing this.

Bikeways are low tech, low cost, low impact and low maintenance in comparison with other alternatives to SOV commuting. As a member of DRCOG Transportation Advisory Committee, I want to propose a long term plan for a comprehensive bikeway system in the Denver metro area.

I will need your help to do this.

Please bring your ideas to the next Bike Jeffco meeting – Tuesday July 12, 7:00pm at the Jeffco Government Center in Golden.

In case you’ve missed them, here’s a recap of some of the recent announcements:

Quiznos Pro Challenge is now USA Pro Cycling Challenge

The event announced the change of its name to USA Pro Cycling Challenge in order to showcase the global scale of the event to a worldwide audience.  Quiznos will continue as a founding sponsor with the same level of participation in the event.

Source:  USAPCC email announcement

Live Network Coverage on NBC and Versus

Golden and surroundings will be featured in NBC coverage

NBC Sports will broadcast the final day of the inaugural seven-day professional cycling competition live on August 28, 2011.  VERSUS, a member of the NBC Sports Group, will extensively cover the event with 3.5 hour broadcasts each day from August 22-28.

NBC will broadcast the USA Pro Cycling Challenge live for two hours on August 28, 2011, while VERSUS, the official home of the Tour de France in the US, will cover 30 minutes of pre-race coverage and one hour of post-race coverage in addition to live event coverage throughout the entire competition.

Source:  USAPCC email announcement

Stage 6: Golden to Denver Route Published

Overall King of the Mountain and first USA Pro Cycling Challenge Winner to be determined on August 28th

Racers will pass through downtown Golden three times

The final stage features the climb up and the descent down the treacherous Lookout Mountain, where the overall King of the Mountain winner will be decided. Racers will start under Golden’s famous “Howdy Folks” welcome arch, take a northern loop out of town, ride past the start line a second time, and then make the challenging ride up Lookout Mountain. At an average 6.1 percent grade and 1300 feet of elevation gain over 4.8 miles, this section provides an intense challenge on the tour’s final day. After a treacherous descent down the winding roads of Lookout Mountain, the cyclists are back again for a third time past the start line in Golden. With three opportunities to see the cyclists test their strength and strategy, the Golden start line will be one of the most coveted viewing spots of the entire race. The racers then speed toward Denver, where they take six laps of a five-mile circuit along Speer Boulevard before heading past the original Quiznos store at 13th and Grant to reach the finish line on Broadway next to the State Capitol Building. An exciting five-mile circuit, the monumental finish line, and the most-watched day of the race will leave nothing to be desired as the first winner of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge is crowned in the Mile High City on August 28.

Click the image below to download an overview map and elevation of the Golden to Denver stage.   A live map and more detailed pdf can be found at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge website on the Routes page

Source:  USA Pro Cycling Challenge Website

Race Week Events Will Abound

It’s too early to leak information about the numerous exciting events race organizers and city officials have planned for the week preceding the race, but stay tuned – it promises to be a week full of fun!

More Information

USA Pro Cycling Challenge Website

USA Pro Cycling Challenge Routes Page

USA Pro Cycling Challenge Facebook Page

Golden Pro Cycling Facebook Page

It all went very smoothly, though there were many logistical details.  I learned a lot and made a mistake or two:   Here are some tips in case you plan to fly with your bike.   (Mistakes in bold)

Bikes Fly Free on Frontier

I didn’t happen to be flying on Frontier, who began accepting bicycles as standard luggage with no extra fees in April of this year.   Quoting from their press release:   “Frontier is removing the flat fee for checked bicycles and will now include them in the standard baggage allowance, meaning customers traveling on Classic or Classic Plus fares can include their bike as one of their two complimentary checked bags and Economy passengers would pay $20 if the bike is one of their first two checked bags. Bikes will be exempt from any oversize fees, but subject to overweight fees and excess bag fees, if applicable. This is similar to the carrier’s current policy for golf clubs and skis.”  You can review their complete rules and regulations, here.  I was on Southwest, who charged $75 each way to transport by bike.

Jackrabbit Bike and Trail Rents Hard Cases

I don’t own a shipping case.  I considered visiting a local bike shop to reuse a cardboard shipping box, but felt I wanted a little more protection than that.   A quick internet search led me to Jackrabbit Bike and Trail in Lakewood.  They rent very nice wheeled hard cases at a very reasonable price, and were incredibly helpful, taking the time to help me disassemble my bike and pack it carefully.   They also taught me how to reassemble it at the other end.     They told me in advance which size allen wrenches I was going to need, so I could bring them along and pack them in the case with the bike.   I took a lot of pictures on my iPhone of the packing process, so I was comfortable I could repeat it on my own for my return flight.

My Trip Details

• I flew from Denver to Ontario Airport, east of Los Angeles.   My hotel was in Claremont, about 12 miles from the airport.
• When I contacted the local shuttle bus company, they told me I would need to reserve a van for me and my bike, at a cost of $55 each way.   I chose to keep this as a rainy day option, and to ride my bike between the airport and my hotel.
• I used Google Map’s bicycle option to figure out a route from the airport to my hotel.    I was pleased to learn there was a bike trail that would take me most of the way.    This worked out well, made even easier by the iPhone:   I mapped the route in MapMyRide, so I had it available to view on my phone when I arrived.
• I realized I would not be able to transport the case between the airport and my hotel – I needed to find a way to store that somewhere within walking distance of the airport.
• I tried calling the airport to figure out if they had any luggage storage option for the case.    I never figured out how to talk to a live person, and gave up on this.
• It took 3 calls before I finally found a hotel about a mile from the airport who had the necessary storage space and weren’t concerned with security or responsibility for the luggage of a non-guest.
• I arrived at the airport about an hour and a half before my flight – I wanted plenty of time in case there were problems.   This turned out to be a good decision:  I had heard I could be present during the TSA inspection of the case and planned to do that to make sure it went back together correctly.
• When I arrived at Southwest I first tried checking in curbside.  (The case is fairly bulky, and the sooner I could check it in the happier I would be).    After waiting in line, nobody seemed to know anything about how to coordinate with TSA.   Finally somebody told me I had to take it personally to the TSA inspection room at the other end of the terminal.  (This was wrong).
• When I arrived at TSA after a long walk, they explained to me that the case must be checked in before they can inspect it, and once checked in, I can’t touch it.   I needed Southwest to bring the case to them, with me alongside.
• Pessimistically I started the long walk back to Southwest.  This time I chose the inside check-in, which had an even longer line.   Fortunately the inside gate agent knew the procedure very well, and immediately called for somebody to escort the case and I back to TSA’s inspection room.
• One more long walk, and the case was inspected.   I was glad I was there, as TSA didn’t close the case correctly, and I was able to catch this and show them how to secure it before handing it back to Southwest.
• Once in California, the biggest challenge I faced was getting out of the airport.  It turns out there is no pedestrian access, and I ended up walking in the traffic lanes to get off airport property and onto the local roads, which did have sidewalks, crosswalks and bike lanes.    This part was a little iffy, and was a mistake.   On the return trip I realized I could take advantage of the hotel shuttle even though I wasn’t a guest.
• The bike arrived in perfect shape in its case.   Unpacking and reassembling it took about a half hour.   I had released most of the tire air to avoid blowouts from traveling in the unpressurized cargo hold, and used the floor pump I had packed in the case along with the bike to re-inflate them.
• I incorrectly assumed I could not ship my CO2 cartridges with the bike.   It’s true they are not allowed in the passenger compartment in hand luggage, but they are accepted in checked luggage.     As a result of this mistake, I purchased a couple of cartridges at a local bike shop but I never needed them, so when I checked back in for the return flight I found a gate agent who knew a cyclist and donated them.
• Ontario Airport’s TSA has no procedure for observing the inspection of checked luggage, so I needed to let go and trust them for the return flight.   Fortunately everything went fine, and case and bike arrived in perfect shape back in Denver.

Take Pictures

As mentioned above, I took many pictures of the bike in various stages of being packed into the case – these gave me the confidence that I would remember how it all goes back together when I was on my own for the return flight.   I also took one last picture before checking it in for the return flight, just in case something went wrong and I needed to make a claim with the airline.

Here’s my bike, my floor pump, and a few articles not suitable for hand luggage packed and ready to close up and check in: (click to see full sized image)