2020 was a complicated year to run a website that focuses on local cycling news, events, and advocacy but here at YGR HQ we absolutely had some successes. It seems like we could use some positive news right now so here’s a quick rundown of some of the things YGR was part of. Your support of YGR advertisers made the following possible:
Rossborough CX–We’ve been working with the city for years to develop a full-featured cyclocross course at one of our local parks and in 2020 the Cyclocross Skills Course at Rossborough Park became seasonally permanent. The course includes singletrack, stairs, a turning pole, barriers and a painted grass course, and a sandpit. Due to the abbreviated CX season, 2020 was kind of a soft opening but 2021 is going to be really neat.
Wish for Wheels FoCo-We partnered with Bike Fort Collins, velofix and Wish For Wheels with a goal of providing 400 bikes to local 2nd graders in need. Although we ‘only’ handed out 260 bikes and helmets this year, I’d say it was a pretty good start. During the worst pandemic the modern world has seen, the Fort Collins community managed to have a positive effect on 260 little lives. We’re planning to really get rowdy next year.
Road signage -This is another project that has been in the works for a number of years but received final approval in 2020. In 2019 I started working with Gale Bernhardt with the Scott Ellis Memorial Fund and Dave Dixon with Bike Fort Collins to add 70+ Bikes May Use Full Lane signs and/or 3 Feet to Pass signs across Larimer County. Those signs should start going up early this year. I’m actually really really proud to have been part of this effort. Seeing that first sign go up is going to be a very bright spot on the YGR timeline.
Northern Colorado Cyclist Owned Business Database- In an effort to support my cycling friends and with the help of Brian Zambrano I created a database of over 120 local businesses that are either owned by cyclists or businesses that have made large financial contributions to the local cycling scene. The searchable database is available on YGR and those businesses could still really use your support.
Trails- We’ve been working with Overland Mountain Bike Association to monitor the planning/implementation of and inform the community of the Horsetooth Mountain Park Master plan as well as other soft surface trail projects. This monitoring and informing of this project and many others will be going on for years to come.
YGR also featured a bunch of DesFit’s gear reviews (which I can’t take any credit for), Ride Reviews, 10 Tracks, and other swell features. I worked hard to keep the community updated about the forest fires raging to the west and hosted some Strava based cycling competitions to keep people moving. Work on a slight rebranding and a complete rebuild of the site also finally got underway
Behind the scenes and most importantly my wife was busy beating the crap out of breast cancer. The cancer is gone and all major treatments and surgeries have been completed.
So 2020 wasn’t all bad around here and 2021 is going to be lit.
Thanks to everyone that has contributed to the success of the site in 2020.
