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Bike Pedal vs. Gas Pedal Challenge - June 27th

On Tuesday, June 27th at 4:00pm, all BP vs. GP challenge participants will meet in front of REI (4025 S College Ave). This will be the official start line hosted by REI. At 4:30pm the race will start, one cameraman will go with the car driver, Bill Axtell, General Manager of Saturn of Fort Collins and we'll equip the bike rider, Jason Trujillo, with a helmet cam and lapel microphone.

At each stop along the race, both the bike rider and car driver must walk to the front door of each location. There, they will be greeted by a Bike Week Volunteer (look for the Bike Week t-shirt) who will verify that the "checkpoint" has been fulfilled. After which, the rider and driver may be on their way to the next stop.

  • Their first stop is the Post Office (301 Boardwalk Dr).
  • Their second stop is the FedEx Kinko's at Campus West (1113 West Elizabeth Street).
  • Their third stop is Recycled Cycles (campus location in the basement of Lory Student Center).
  • The Finish Line is the downtown Fort Collins Public Library (201 Peterson St).

Rules:

  • Both car driver and bike rider must obey all traffic laws.
  • Bike rider must wear helmet.
  • Both rider and driver must be prepared to carry cargo of up to a set weight in lbs.

The event will be video taped from many angles: bike rider helmet cam, driver's perspective, and camera at each stop, including finish line. After which, we'll create a short video that promotes Fort Collins bike-ability and how the bicycle is a viable mode of transportation for everyday errands about town.

Rider Profile

Jason Trujillo self-proclaimed bikeoholic.

  • Likes to commute
  • Motivates others to ride for fun, commute, compete, and for fun again
  • Has been commuting by bicycle for nearly 15 years in Fort Collins
  • Has competed in all aspects of cycling
  • Enjoys the ride and the trips that riding takes him on

Jasons Daily Commute

  • Consists of a few different routes
  • 6, 8 or 10 miles each way to and from work
  • Enjoys going out by the Environmental Learning Center at the east end of Drake Rd and taking the Poudre Trail to NBB (10 miles).
  • Takes the new trail they have been working on up the train tracks, that goes from his neighborhood to work by linking that to the Spring Creek Trail then to the PoudreTrail (8 miles).
  • When short on time, jams through neighborhoods, cutting over to Stover and heading north till the path jogs over to Wedbee. He then follows Wedbee for almost all the way to work (6 miles).

Benefits of Riding

  • Gas $$$, saved
  • About 2000 miles off my gas allowance due to riding places (So the boss let him buy a new bike, wooo hoo!)
  • Being exposed to the seasons changing
  • Doesnt have to make time to go work out/join a health club
  • A beer taste better at the end of the day

The Cons of Driving

  • Gas prices
  • Traffic/road construction
  • Detours

Frustrations with Cars

  • Not many in Fort Collins since it is a bike friendly community
  • Drivers that stop at a stop sign then as he comes to a stop, wave him through. He would prefer that drivers treat cyclists as a vehicle on the road. Some drivers try to beat the biker and others are too nice.
  • He merges with traffic a lot and doesn't normally have a problem, but some drivers don't like or understand it.

Frustration with Bikes

  • Going the wrong way in the bike lane and on roads and especially through intersections.
  • Not merging with traffic at intersections and turns. When merging, put your arm out move into the lane and take the turn. If the shoulder is tight, put your arm out and move into traffic. If there is not room for a car they will not try to squeeze by.

How he imagines the future of transportation in Fort Collins will be.

  • Continuously adding to the trail systems.
  • Traffic Lights that change for bikes, more shoulders in side street locations, but also on the busy streets where bikers have to ride some times.
  • Tying trails systems together.

Driver Profile

David Axtell - General Manager of Saturn of Fort Collins

  • Despite traffic, there is no way a bike can beat a car around town.
  • Although traffic gets heavy, I'm much safer in my car

The cons of driving

  • Increasingly harder and more aggravating to drive in Fort Collins.
  • More cars than ever in Fort Collins and waiting in traffic is always a definite

Frustration with bikes

  • Wishes all bikers had lights at night
  • Don't mind the rolling stops, just wishes they would look for traffic more.

How he imagines the future of transportation in Fort Collins will be.

  • Cars will stay the same, but a lot of drivers will switch to more cost effective, energy saving fuels like hybrids.
  • Fort Collins is a bicycle friendly town and he believes it will become even more bike friendly as gas prices stay the same.