Mayor-elect Michael Hancock lives in Green Valley Ranch, so it is unlikely he will be riding a bicycle every day to his new job at city hall.
But on Wednesday, Hancock and Mayor Guillermo “Bill” Vidal hopped on Denver B-Cycles and rode the short distance from Hancock’s old campaign office at 11th Avenue and Bannock Street to Civic Center for the annual Denver Bike to Work Day event.
“As a city, we are always working to promote healthy living,” said Hancock, donning sweat pants and a Denver City bike jersey. “We want to encourage people to continue to ride to work, use the bike lanes, especially during this great weather.”
Hancock said Bike to Work Day not only makes bicyclists more aware of the benefits of cycling but also seems to make drivers more aware of cyclists on the road.
Vidal, whose short tenure as mayor ends next month, said that in Portland, Ore., roughly 10 percent of the population bikes to work each day.
“We’re (Denver) nowhere close to that, and we have 300-plus sunny days each year,” said Vidal, who as Public Works manager would ride his bike to work at least once a week.
“It’s important because the future of our community really relies on ways we use our transportation,” he said. “Our environment relies on us to get out of our cars and start using our footprint in a different way.”
Vidal and Hancock were joined at Civic Center by Gov. John Hickenlooper , Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia and hundreds of metro-area residents who rode their bikes to work.
In the metro area, more than 18,000 people registered to participate in Ride to Work Day.
“It’s a great opportunity to get out, enjoy the weather and stay fit,” said Tom Craig , who rode 14 miles from his home in the Broomfield area. “Like the mayor said, we always have sunshine, so there’s plenty of opportunities to take advantage of riding bikes.”
John Wilker lives in downtown Denver and is an avid rider who partakes in Bike to Work Day every year. “I like to leave the car in the garage for days at a time and just use my bike,” Wilker said.
In his address to the crowd, Hancock emphasized the city’s efforts to continue improving bike paths and other biking amenities in Denver.
Staff writer Jordan Steffen contributed to this report.
Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655 or klee@denverpost.com
