While the rest of the nation celebrates bicycling in May, June is Colorado Bike Month. Each year representatives from the private, public, and government sectors pull together to plan a month of free events and activities to promote and celebrate cycling. This year, I was given the responsibility of leading the Grand Valley Bike Month planning committee. And let me tell you, it is a lot of work. And it’s worth every minute of it.

Cycling is a major part of my life. Not in the “put on spandex shorts and bike a 100 miles in one day” kind of way (though power to the people who can do that!). I mean, I wouldn’t call myself extreme. It’s just always been a part of my life. I remember riding with my parents to daycare as a kid. Even when I couldn’t ride yet on my own, I was pulled along for the ride in a trailer and then a tag along when I was old enough. And I was vehicle free for over three years so alternative forms of transportation, especially cycling, were my means of travel. So some people might consider me a little extreme.But Bike Month is about getting everyone out of their car and onto a bike: young, old, experts, novices. It’s a time to encourage people to pull out their bike, whether it’s a road, mountain or cruiser bike, and take a ride around town. It’s about leaving your car at your home and using a bike to get from point A to point B, whether that’s work, the store, or a friend’s house.

So I, and the Bike Month planning committee, hope you will join us in celebrating bicycling for transportation, fun, and health. Bike to Work Day is tomorrow, June 28^th, and there are free breakfasts for riders around the valley as well as an Afterglow event in the evening hosted by Edgewater Brewery. Check out Healthy Mesa County for more information.

Even if you didn’t make it out this time, don’t worry, there’s always next year.