The League of American Bicyclists (often referred to simply as The League) is the oldest bicycle advocacy organization in the United States. Founded in 1880 as the League of American Wheelmen, it was the first to champion the paving of roads, the creation of travel maps, and the ability for cyclists to take their bicycles on the train as luggage (with no additional fee). Past members include the Wright Brothers, Diamond Jim Brady, and John D Rockefeller.
In 2002, the League began a Bicycle Friendly Community program in which cities could apply for designation as,… well, as a bicycle friendly community. (Fort Collins became a Platinum level community in 2013 — one of only four in the nation.) In 2008, two new programs were added: the Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) and the Bicycle Friendly State (BFS). In 2001, they added the Bicycle Friendly University program.
Fort Collins currently has 39 Bicycle Friendly Businesses, 1 Bicycle Friendly University, and 2 BFB honorable mentions. By my count, that means that Fort Collins has more BFBs than any other city in America. Boise, ID is second with 35 businesses listed, Pittsburgh, PA is third with 33, Portland, OR comes in fourth with 31, and Arlington, VA is fifth with 30. I think that’s absolutely fantastic. Way to represent, Fort Collins!
I’ve taken the logos from all of the BFBs here in Fort Collins and sorted them by level of award so you can get a quick visual sense of who’s on board with bicycling here in the Choice City.
The Coloradoan and Water Pik, Inc. both came in as honorable mentions.
Congratulations, Fort Collins!
You can peruse BFBs in other cities by checking the full list of Bicycle Friendly Businesses in the U.S.
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