After the 11th annual Bicycle Tour of Colorado last year, Greg Brophy joined hundreds of bedraggled riders in delivering a standing ovation to the motorcycle formation of Colorado State Patrol troopers who had kept them safe during the week-long ride.
Today, he joins thousands of Colorado cyclists in delivering another kind of salute to the State Patrol, which recently decided to cap the number of cyclists in any organized race or tour at 2,500. The decision threatens to end two of the state’s largest rides, the Elephant Rock and Triple Bypass.
“This makes me really angry and I am taking this very, very seriously,” said Brophy, a Republican state senator from Wray whose legs were broken when he was struck by a distracted motorist during an organized ride outside Steamboat Springs in July 2004. “It is an arbitrary and arrogant act. It oversteps their bounds and I will not stand for it. They say this is a final decision. Well, guess what, it’s not final.”
Brophy and Rep. Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, fired off a letter to State Patrol Chief Mark Trostel on Wednesday, saying his decision appeared to be made “in a vacuum” and it “displays disrespect for the public you are sworn to protect.” The legislators are urging the State Patrol to reconsider its decision.
That’s not going to happen, said State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Jeff Goodwin, adding that they expected an outcry from cyclists.
“Our stance is firm,” Goodwin said. “We knew this was coming. No one likes change, especially when you are dealing with a very avid group of bicycling enthusiasts.”
A petition organized by the nonprofit Bicycle Colorado two days ago has harvested the signatures of more than 10,000 Colorado cyclists urging the State Patrol to reconsider its decision, said the group’s executive director, Dan Grunig.
Grunig said he fears local communities may follow the State Patrol’s lead and impose limits on riders on county roads. The State Patrol directive applies only to bicycle races and tours on state highways that stretch through several jurisdictions.
“If this gets a toehold and sticks around, it could have really broad ramifications,” he said.
Goodwin said a team of State Patrol leaders worked with the Colorado Department of Transportation to determine the safest number. That team ran a proposed rider cap past Rep. Al White, R-Winter Park, and Rep. Gary Lindstrom, D-Breckenridge, and neither objected to a limit.
Jason Blevins can be reached at 303-820-1374 or jblevins@denverpost.com.
