Denver B-Cycle kicked up the kickstands and cruised into its second season Monday morning.
Denver Mayor Bill Vidal was joined by Colorado Rapids players Conor Casey and Omar Cummings to celebrate the second season of the city’s bike-share program, as well as the start of the Rapids’ 2011 season.
“We get to celebrate two of my favorite things today — biking and soccer,” Vidal said.
Vidal addressed the crowd while sitting on one of the red cruisers at the Denver B-Cycle station on the west side of the Denver Public Library.
All of the program’s 500 bikes were cleaned and updated with sturdier kickstands and new handlebar grips. The bikes are available at 50 stations across the city. The kiosks were updated with new technology and color LCD screens.
Rules that banned those under the age of 18 from checking out a bike have changed. Now anyone who is 16 and has a valid driver’s license can participate.
During the first B-Cycle season, which ended Dec. 5 after about seven months, the program logged 102,981 rides totaling 211,111 miles around Denver. More than 20 percent of members combined their trips with light rail or bus commutes.
“Denver is an up-and-coming bicycle city,” Vidal said. “I think that without a question Denver B-Cycle has set a bar for bike sharing nationally.”
After his remarks, Vidal joined Casey and Cummings for a short bike ride around the plaza before the three kicked around a soccer ball.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
