Fort Collins is the land of the bicycle.

It's not just that there are a lot of people who self-propel on two wheels around here. It's more than that.

The bike is mentioned in ideas for city slogans. A parade of people, over 15,000 strong, all(or most) on bikes, winds its way through the town every summer. The town has enjoyed national acclaim for its programs and biking infrastructure.

It's a Platinum Bicycle City, which means that it is uber-bicycle friendly. Also, some businesses in the Fort are Platinum Bicycle Businesses.

In fact, there are only two businesses in the state of Colorado that have the special distinction of being a 'Platinum Bicycle Friendly Business'. Both of them are in Fort Collins.

The city is considered a 'Platinum Bicycle Friendly' organization by the League of American Bicyclists. These types of businesses basically encourage employees, customers and the community to ride bicycles. This could include things such as providing places to lock the bikes, shelters to keep them from the weather, and even incentive programs for those that ride regularly.

It's not easy to earn this distinction. New Belgium is the only other business in Colorado to be named to the 'Platinum' level.

As you can hear in the interview, the City of Fort Collins was 'Gold' last year. This year, the city has hopped to the highest level.

Now this is not referring to the transportation of citizens throughout the city. That is a different distinction. This deals with the offices, employees and administration of the city that actually make the city run.

It's another way of saying that the city really practices what it preaches.

It was a pleasure to speak with Nick Heimann of FC Bikes. His team's effort over the past years has no doubt had a real impact on the city earning the stripes that they have earned.

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