The chief of the State Patrol in Colorado is postponing for 12 months a ruling that would have limited bicycle events in the state to 2,500 riders.
After the Bicycle Colorado advocacy group released details of the ruling earlier this week, Chief Mark Trostel came under pressure from cyclists, organizers of bicycle tours and politicians to review his ruling.
At least two bicycle rides would have been cancelled — the Elephant Rock (6,500 riders) and the Triple Bypass (3,500). Also, a first-ever LiveStrong ride for Denver would have been cancelled.
The quick resolution to the cycling-event limits that would have gone into effect in 2006 shows how quickly Bicycle Colorado was able to mobilize opposition. The advocacy group received 10,000 online petitions signatures in a matter of days, the Rocky Mountain News reported. The state's newspapers had daily stories on the firestorm surrounding the ruling.
Trostel told the Rocky Mountain News that he'll carefully monitor Colorado's big cycling events this summer.
If tour directors can persuade riders to take the rules of the road seriously and to be more courteous to motorists, Trostel said, there may be some flexibility in that 2,500 number when the final decision is made.
Trostel had earlier said he assigns one motorcycle officer for every 300 riders, and he didn't have the resources to cover the bigger rides adequately.
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