Your guide to Colorado Bike Month 2020
Now more than ever, as many cities and towns across Colorado are in ‘stay at home’ or ‘safer at home’ orders, your bike ride is one of the best ways to feel connected with your community, get some fresh air, run an errand and get some much needed exercise!
National Bike Month aims to celebrate all that the bike is and can be, and create a movement of people organizing together for better bicycling (albeit, this year it is mostly virtual organization!). Our friends at the League of American Bicyclists say, “Whether you’re riding for fun, fitness or with family, or taking essential trips to work or shop, you are part of our movement for safer streets, connected communities, a healthier planet, and happier people.”
Riding keeps me healthy and outside on my handcycle … one of the few things that I can do along with others, except going uphill the leg bikers always beat me.
Though most of the country and the Western Slope of Colorado celebrate Bike Month in May each year, the Bike Month celebration is in June for the Colorado central mountains and Front Range. This is when the snow has melted enough for our mountain towns to join the fun!
Please click through the sections below to find ways you can get involved in your community, connect with others in Colorado and beyond, and take time to celebrate all that the bike brings to you all year long.
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Riding bikes has just brought me closer to the natural world. That’s always what cycling has been. A part of it is really just fun. Just staying in touch with your inner child. You find yourself smiling.
Bike Month 2020 FAQ and Resources
What is Bike Month?
Established in 1956 and promoted by the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling and encourage more folks to give biking a try.
Who organizes it?
Bike Month is a grassroots nationwide effort! Advocacy groups, businesses and municipalities nationwide come together to promote and celebrate biking for transportation and recreation. Even YOU can help organize by creating a campaign or event in your community.
Can I help promote it?
YES!
Here are some resources for planning events and promoting bike month on social media:
- Bicycle Colorado Bike Month logo
- Bicycle Colorado Bike Month poster
- Colorado Bike Month Poster from CDOT
- Download: #biketo Memes from League of American Bicyclists (#biketomarket, #biketocoffee, #biketobbq, etc)
- Overcoming Commuting Concerns poster from League of American Bicyclists
And check out these resources for more helpful tips and tricks to make your riding experience more comfortable and fun. You can also share these with friends who you think might enjoy taking up biking!
- Bicycle Colorado tutorial videos (everything from maintenance demos to on-bike skills and challenges!)
- Riding safely during COVID-19, or any time you’re on a bike
- Bike commuting: The best way to take your biking to the next level
- Make the most of Bike to School Week 2020! (relevant tips for family riding any time of the year)
- Rules of the road
- Bike maps and resources
- Google Maps with bicycling layer to plan your route. The Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX), Strava and TrailForks are also great resources to find trails, rides and routes around the state.
Bicycle Colorado gear to celebrate biking
We’ve got shirts, hats, jerseys and more—even Bicycle Colorado masks from our friends at Primal!—on the Bicycle Colorado store.
Join the Bicycle Colorado Summer Bike Celebration and Bingo!
We’ve got plenty of fun activities to recommend to celebrate biking in 2020 Bike Month and beyond. We’ve been working with Colorado bike event organizers to come up with amazing routes for you to ride in your community as we remain in safer-at-home status. Routes include sections of Roll Massif’s Tour of the Moon, CF Cycle For Life’s annual fundraising ride and much more. See them all below:
Check out the Bike MS: Colorado Shield to Masonville ride!
Check out the CF Cycle For Life Peak to Peak to Lyons Ride!
Check out the Colorado Park 2 Park Challenge’s Final Climb!
Check out the Colorado Tour de Cure Castle Rock Loop!
Check out the Littleton Twilight Criterium Backside Route!
Check out the Pikes Peak APEX Day 3 Downhill!
Check out the Roll Massif Tour de Vineyards 23-mile course!
Check out the Roll Massif Tour of the Moon Independence Monument Route!
Check out the Tour de Steamboat River Road Return!
And don’t forget about our Active Bike Corridor Routes to Downtown Denver!
These routes are fun, low-stress routes connecting seven Denver neighborhoods to downtown. Perfect if you’re looking to start commuting or just looking to see a new side of the city!
And more great bike-themed content to engage your creative side
Check out our Summer Bike Bingo for inspiration on your next ride! Let us know you’re playing with #BicycleColorado.
Our Bicycle Colorado coloring pages, created by local artist Elle Powell, are perfect for the whole family!
(Click the image to see all seven!)
More ways to celebrate bicycling this summer
Check out the following list of Colorado Bike Month events taking place around the state! Don’t see your community or a particular event listed? Email us at info@bicyclecolorado.org and let us know!
Statewide and Nationwide
Bike Equity conversation [DETAILS TO COME] – Stay tuned for a conversation in June with members of our RIDE Advisory Board where we’ll discuss why prioritizing equity is important to building the bike movement, what Bicycle Colorado is doing about it, and more.
Learn to Ride webinars – Now’s a great time to learn how to ride a bike! Our Bicycle Colorado education team has successfully taught hundreds of kids and adults to balance and pedal for the first time through our Learn to Ride lessons. Join us for a Learn to Ride webinar in the next month and let us show you our proven techniques and tricks to get you riding! June webinars are FREE thanks to our Active Bike Corridor grant program. Find our dates and registration links for webinars and future in-person lessons here.
Bicycle-Friendly Driver webinars – Learn or review how to drive safely around other road users like bicyclists with our Bicycle-Friendly webinar! Whether you’re a seasoned driver (or bicyclist) or are still learning the rules of the road, this webinar is for you and is FREE thanks to support from New Belgium Brewing. Find our dates and registration links here.
Confident Commuting webinars – Interest in bicycle commuting is growing by the day, and now is the time to put down the car keys and throw your leg over a bike instead! Come join us for an hour-long presentation introducing the basics of bicycle commuting, covering topics such as route finding, clothing and equipment, plus how to safely navigate the streets. June webinars are FREE thanks to our Active Bike Corridor grant program. Find our dates and registration links for webinars right here.
Basic Bike Maintenance webinars – Do you have a chain that just doesn’t quite sound right? Or are your brakes too loose for you to stop safely? Come and learn all this and more in our Basic Bike Maintenance webinar where we will outline the key tricks and tips to get your bike running smoothly. June webinars are FREE thanks to our Active Bike Corridor grant program. Find our dates and registration links for webinars here.
Storytime with Bicycle Colorado – Stay tuned for more live read aloud sessions for the little ones! Follow us on Facebook or subscribe to our eNews for announcements.
National Bike Challenge – The National Bike Challenge 2020 is here and will run through September. Connect with your friends and co-workers and encourage and support each other to ride. The National Bike Challenge is a fun, friendly challenge for social groups, individuals and businesses.
Pedaling 4 Parkinson’s – Register today for the 2020 Pedaling 4 Parkinson’s ride, which is now a month-long virtual event! If anyone chooses to log some or all of their miles on a Peloton, a smart trainer connected to Zwift, or any other type of stationary bike or trainer, we will be happy to count those miles right along with miles ridden on dirt, gravel, bike paths or out on the road. Every mile counts! There will be contests, raffles and frequent recognition of achievements throughout the month of June.
Ride4Success – The Success Foundation has decided to transform their seventh-annual Ride4Success into a new, virtual event titled “RollOut4Success” to be held May 30-June 14th. Register for a distance of 10, 25, 50 or 62 miles and keep track of your miles using an app or photos of your stats during the given timeframe. The event is open to bicycling, running and walking!
Rebecca’s Giddy Up Challenge – When Rebecca Rusch—AKA the Queen of Pain—throws down a challenge, you pay attention, saddle up and #GiddyUpForGood. Rebecca’s Giddy Up Challenge is a ride or run climbing challenge and COVID-19 relief fundraiser this Memorial Day Weekend. Curated by Rebecca herself, it’s easy to register and hard to do, but with priceless rewards and virtual high-fives. Learn more and register here. Let’s all Giddy Up For Good together.
Pandemic Solo Century – You, your bike, and 100+ miles on your local roads or in your basement. This is a social distancing ride option for bicyclists everywhere as it is not the time to ride in sweaty pelotons just yet! Click on these links to get your t-shirts and join Pandemic Cyclists on Strava (over 4,000 strong). All of our fundraising efforts benefit the World Health Organization (WHO). Join us!
Bike MS: Colorado – Bike MS is virtual this year! Hop on a trainer or stationary bike, hit the highway or ride around the neighborhood with your family. Wear your favorite jersey and show us how you’re riding with #VirtualBikeMS. Your fundraising changes lives—during times of crisis and every day—so please continue to contribute, however you can. Join Bike MS on their Facebook page for a Facebook Live Broadcast on Saturday, June 27 at 8 a.m. MST to celebrate with bicyclists from across the country.
Local events
In addition to connecting with the groups and activities below, you can find more local advocacy groups and certified bicycling instructors through the League of American Bicyclists. There are also lots of local organizations and programs that support specific types of riders. We encourage you to see what they have going on during Bike Month or down the road when in-person programs resume. Some examples in the Denver area are the Denver Fatties, Black Girls Do Bike, Major Taylor Cycling Club of Denver or Denver Parks and Recreation’s Adaptive Recreation program.
Arvada, CO – Our friends at Bike Friendly Arvada will be keeping this page up to date with group rides when it’s safe to gather.
Aurora, CO – Our friends at Bicycle Aurora will start group rides when it’s safe to gather again. Check their website to stay up to date.
Boulder, CO – Click here to see a calendar of events in Boulder!
Independence Day Boulder Bike Scavenger Hunt, sponsored by Knight Composites: Grab your bike and get reacquainted with the businesses and people in our community! Several local businesses are joining us as “checkpoints” for the bike scavenger hunt for Independence Day. We’ll keep building the list of participants every day until the official unveiling of the list at Noon on Friday July 3rd. Click here to learn more and sign up for email updates!
Colorado Springs, CO – Join in on a week-long celebration supporting businesses, June 22-28. During “Bike to Biz Week” residents are encouraged to ride by bike to their favorite coffee shop, store, restaurant or curbside pickup for dinner, doctor’s appointment, or other neighborhood businesses! Visit this link to join the fun (and join the Facebook group!).
Also, check out maps from our friends at Bike Colorado Springs to find a new route for you and your family.
Denver, CO –
- Solo bike trips through Denver from our friends at Bike Streets.
- Until further notice, the following roads are closed to thru-traffic but open for bicycling and walking at a safe distance from others:
Capitol Hill Neighborhood
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- 11th Avenue from Lincoln Street to Humboldt Street
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Sloan Lake Neighborhood
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- Bryon Place from Zenobia Street to Stuart Street
- Stuart Street from 24th Avenue to 21st Avenue
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North Capitol Hill/City Park West Neighborhoods
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- 16th Avenue from Pennsylvania Street to City Park Esplanade
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West Denver
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- Irving Street from 2nd Avenue to Gill Place
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Northeast Denver
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- Bolling Drive from Chambers Road to Dillon Street
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Washington Park/Speer
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- Marion Parkway from Virginia Avenue to Downing Street/Bayaud Avenue
- Bayaud Avenue from Sherman to Downing Streets
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Fort Collins, CO – Our friends at FC Bikes will keep you up to date on all things summer biking in FoCo.
Grand Junction and Mesa County – May is Bike Month in Grand Junction and Mesa County. Celebrate Grand Valley Bike Month with activities from our friends at Healthy Mesa County. You’ll find a selfie contest and bike bingo among many other family-friendly activities!
Montrose, CO – Keep up with current events in Montrose thanks to our friends at the Montrose Area Bicycle Alliance.
Pueblo, CO – Follow Active Pueblo – PACE and Steel City Cycling Club on Facebook to stay up to date on ways to stay involved year-round!
Routt County and Steamboat Springs, CO – 1. Check out riding resources from our friends at Bike Town USA. 2. You’ll find an event calendar from our friends at Routt County Riders with a few trail work days you can take part in.
New Bike to Work Day date: September 22, 2020!
While we usually celebrate Bike to Work Day in June, Colorado’s has been postponed to match the National Bike to Work Day date. Save the date for September 22, 2020! Communities statewide will be celebrating this annual holiday, and you can join with others to replace some of your car trips by bike, particularly your commute to work, alongside fellow Coloradans.
Bicycle Colorado Member Giveaway
Throughout the month of June, you can win big by joining or renewing your membership. Each donation and membership contributed during Bike Month from June 1-30 will enter you to win a prize! At the end of June, we’ll be giving away:
- Bicycle Colorado hat
- Bicycle Colorado t-shirt, pick your size!
- Bicycle Colorado jersey, pick your size!
- Shellback bike to work backpack by GrüneStrasse Backpack
- Three sets of front and back bike lights from CatEye
- Three copies of Streetfight: A Handbook for an Urban Revolution by Janette Sadik-Khan
- One registration ($445 value!) for the Pikes Peak APEX, presented by RockShox, a unique 4-day mountain bike challenge on the slopes of Pikes Peak, America’s Mountain September 24-27, 2020.
And if you’re already a member, fear not! Refer a friend and you will receive not one but TWO entries into this contest and your friend will receive an entry as well. The friend will simply enter your name in the referral box on the membership form. Click here to become a member or learn more!
If you’re wondering about riding during COVID-19, check out our comprehensive guide to bicycling during social distancing, as well as in-depth information on how biking can support physical and mental health, the environment, and riding tips for now and any other time.
Thank you very much for your support of Bicycle Colorado, and for celebrating bicycling this summer! We look forward to seeing you out there soon.
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COMMENTS (2)
Manuel Camacho -
Hi friends.
My wife and I want to go to ride our road bikes in Colorado, especially around Boulder. Do you think that mid October is too late, maybe too cold or snowy? Since we’ve never been to Colorado we really don’t know what to do. Thanks in advance.
Aishwarya Krishnamoorthy -
Hi Manuel! Road biking around Boulder in October is perfectly doable! We’d recommend checking climate and weather info online to get a sense of what it’s like in the area in that season, but generally, snow and cold haven’t arrived yet in October.