Driving in a Roundabout

As Fort Collins and Loveland continue to grow, we are seeing the construction of many roundabouts, or traffic circles. These are common in many other countries, but are not often seen here. Because of their relative rarity, it seems like many people are unfamiliar with how to navigate them.

I do not profess to be an expert, but by observation learned several things while travelling in New Zealand a few years back.

• The vehicle approaching is required to yield to vehicles already in the circle.
• When approaching the circle, please signal your intentions if you intend to exit any way other than straight ahead.
• Once in the circle, please signal your intended exit from the circle, allowing those awaiting entry a larger opportunity to merge.

The general sentiment is against these devices in our area, but when a bit of courtesy is applied, and a few simple rules are followed, they can be very efficient.

Northern Colorado Group Rides & Cycling Resources

As a cyclist, I find Fort Collins a fantastic place to live. The city is very bike friendly. Through my website, I often find cyclists looking for homes for sale in Fort Collins, homes for sale in Loveland, or other parts of Northern Colorado.

When a cyclist moves to the area, a new riding group can help one get into the culture, make new friends, motivate one to get out and ride, and find the good places to ride. Given my ever changing schedule, I have joined several groups and placed my contact info with several group ride mailing lists in order to have numerous options for rides. One day last spring, I received notification of 5 different group rides in one day, and on a week day, no less.

For cyclists new to our area, here is a list of groups with which I am associated, as well as web resources for riding partners. I am a casual mountain biker, and an even more casual road cyclist, so this list is not comprehensive, and may not work for someone training for a rigorous race season.

• MTBR.COM I have met many friends, and participated in numerous rides I found through the Colorado Front Range discussion forum at this popular website.


• YourGroupRide.com This is a good central website for all things cycling in Northern Colorado. Local cycling events are posted here, and often rides are posted in the discussion forum section.


• Meetup.com I am in two cycling groups on this site, both of which post the occasional ride, or send out e-mails looking for other riders. The local groups about which I know are The Fort Collins Bicycling Meetup Group and NoCo MTB


• Velocal.org This site has several cycling groups in Fort Collins and Loveland. It is a good way to hear about upcoming rides, or to invite a group for a ride. Go to the site and "join a group" to see a list of groups by town. The "Random Rides" group is truly random, but fun.


• 450 Club These guys ride at 4:50 am almost every week day of the year at Horsetooth Mountain Park, west of Fort Collins. On weekends, they sleep in and don't ride until 7, and they often change up the location of the ride on weekends.


• Team Bob (Babes on Bikes) This one is for the ladies. This club has a great community outreach, and regular group rides in the summer.


• VeloOne is a local group that has many interests, including club rides, socials, and a race team.


• Google groups / Yahoo groups There are a handful of local cycling groups that use these services to put together rides. you can search by key words, including bike, mountain bike, bicycling, and add a city, such as Fort Collins or Loveland to locate groups.


• Overland MTB A local club that rides together, patrols local trails and maintains trails within the region.

Given our good weather, bicycling friendly community, and great infrastructure, the Northern Colorado communities of Fort Collins and Loveland are a great place to find other cyclists with whom to train, or just go for a ride, no matter whether you prefer mountain biking or road cycling.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about cycling resources in Northern Colorado, or if you are looking to go for a bike ride.

Mike Weber Keller Williams Realty of Northern Colorado

970-310-4289 MikeWeber@KW.com www.RedTeamKW.com

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