The O. Zone

Colorado Republicans for guv prove term 'doping' applies in cycling and politics

Scott McInnis, unlike his GOP gubernatorial primary foe Dan Maes, apparently doesn't think Denver residents are in danger of losing their personal freedoms as their city is converted into a United Nations community overrun by free bicycles.

The former Glenwood Springs cop turned attorney is just worried about the sidewalks.

David O. Williams

“There are unintended consequences when you put free bike racks all over town and give people access to free bikes,” McInnis told the Colorado Independent. “We've now got people riding on sidewalks, which is illegal, but you need to watch out.”

Maes, on the other hand, recently was quoted in the Denver Post questioning Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's promotion of bicycling and other environmental initiatives. He later told the paper he was referring to Denver participating in the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), which advocates for sustainable development.

“This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed,” Maes reportedly said at a campaign rally in Centennial last week. “This is bigger than it looks like on the surface, and it could threaten our personal freedoms.”

Hickenlooper, the Democratic candidate for governor, was not mayor when Denver became a member of the ICLEI in 1992. He did institute the free B Cycle bike-sharing program that McInnis referred to.

Asked specifically about Maes's comments on the U.N. and personal freedoms, McInnis said, “I don't know where his conclusions come from.”

Left field might be one place to start looking.

Had Gov. Bill Ritter stayed in the race, one can only imagine the flack he'd be taking for spending tax dollars to promote and help land the first major international cycling stage race in Colorado since the Coors Classic in 1988.

After all, the biggest race in that sport is the Tour de France, which is held in France, a famously anti-American nation that has for years has been relentlessly pursuing Lance Armstrong for alleged blood doping en route for seven consecutive Tour victories.

Armstrong, a partner in the 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge announced Wednesday on the west steps of the Capitol, is originally from Texas, home state of the last Republican president. But now Armstrong has a house in Aspen – possibly the only place in Colorado more liberal than Boulder.

And that's a city where surely it's only a matter of time before the government confiscates every car that isn't a Toyota Prius and forces everyone to ride a bike.