Every crank of a bike pedal is a good turn for the environment, and today, as 2,000 cyclists embark on a 380-mile spin, The Denver Post Ride the Rockies is going green in a whole new way.
For this 24th annual ride that creates a rolling community of cyclists, staff people, vendors, massage therapists and other support folks, a key goal will be using a minimal amount of resources and leaving no trace behind — except for goodwill and the welcome bundles of cash spent in each host town.
Ninety percent of the trash from a week of communal meals, roadside snack breaks and beer-garden visits will be composted or recycled. Staff will be wearing, and cyclists will be able to buy, clothing made of coconut shells.
Along the way, some cellphones will be powered up by a solar panel. Part of the support-vehicle fleet will run on biodiesel and ethanol. Grants totaling $30,000 given to the six host communities will be targeted at programs promoting healthy lifestyles. Ride organizers and participants will support carbon-offset programs to make the event 100 percent carbon neutral.
“Through our Tread Lightly program, we hope to minimize our carbon footprint in a big way,” said Chandler Smith, tour director of Ride the Rockies.
The ride has always been an environmentally friendly event in another way. It gives cyclists a chance to see some of Colorado’s most awesome scenery without windshields and at a relatively slow pace. That “green” and a host of related reasons have cyclists coming from every U.S. state and nine foreign countries.
One of those riders attuned to this year’s environmental message is Eric Larsen. The explorer of some of the world’s harshest terrains is participating in Ride the Rockies to advertise Boulder-based Cocona Inc.’s coconut shell fabrics and to prepare for an ascent of Mount Everest next year. As Part of his Save the Poles effort, Larsen plans to be the first explorer to reach the summit of Everest and the North and South Poles in one year’s time.
“Biking is hard,” said the explorer, who has logged 600 miles paddling canoes in shifting sea ice and open ocean, and 700 miles mushing with a dog team through frozen tundra.
Dorothy Neary, 83, of Dillon has been touring on a bike for recreation since she was 14, and she has a different opinion. She says biking is “not so difficult.” The oldest participant this year will be doing her 12th Ride the Rockies.
Cyclist Sreeni Sreenivasan of Corvallis, Ore., represents the flipside. Sreenivasan grew up in India riding a bicycle for transportation. Ride the Rockies will be Sreenivasan’s first long recreational ride.
Jack Gerstein, a baby boomer cyclist from Winter Park, had a stroke while hanging off a rope on Everest at 23,000 feet and has a stent in his carotid artery. He also has two titanium knees. He is doing Ride the Rockies to encourage other boomers to take advantage of the benefits of modern medicine and not let injuries keep them from remaining active. He’s also riding to get in shape for another Everest attempt next year.
These diverse riders and their fellow cyclists ride out of Glenwood Springs this morning and return Friday.
The other host communities for this year’s ride include an old favorite: Salida, which has hosted the ride for 13 of the past 24 years. And a newbie: This will be the first stop in Hotchkiss, a small Delta County community where riders will roll through the area’s bucolic wineries and orchards.
Gunnison, a town that perennially vies for the state’s “icebox” low temperature bragging rights, is the second day’s stop. On the fourth day, riders will sample the thin air and mining heritage of Leadville, Colorado’s highest incorporated city. The last night lands riders in Aspen, where The Aspen Food & Wine Classic as well as Jazz Aspen Snowmass will be underway. Road-weary riders should be able to partake of Aspen’s festivities because all the mountains will have been climbed.
The final day is an uncharacteristically easy 40-mile downhill ride on a scenic bike path — with Glenwood Springs’ Strawberry Days pie-eating event as the carrot at the end.
Nancy Lofholm: 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com
