local hero
Colorado’s Tim Blumenthal is leading a movement to improve bicycling in America.
When you ride a bike, you probably don’t think about what went into making your route possible. But it’s likely that Tim Blumenthal had something to do with it. Blumenthal has spent 23 years working to improve bicycling—first as head of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), and for the last 12 years, as president of PeopleForBikes (formerly Bikes Belong), Blumenthal’s workday might involve meeting with members of Congress, sharing ideas with other countries, signing grant checks or directing initiatives to make bicycling safer and more appealing.
Now PeopleForBikes is building an army of supporters—1.2 million folks and counting. Last year the organization rallied these troops to the count of 35,000 letters to government officials. The results are tangible. From 1999–2015, the federal government quadrupled its investment in bike projects.
“Bicycling is a simple solution to complex problems,” says Blumenthal. “When people ride bikes, great things happen.” peopleforbikes.org
—Avery Stonich
