JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colorado — Thousands of Coloradans left their cars parked at home Wednesday and commuted on two wheels for Bike to Work Day.
It was just a typical Wednesday for a man who's been cycling for 50 years. Bob Shaver estimates he's pedaled 200,000 miles over the years, and he was glad to share the roads Wednesday with so many other riders.
"It’s great to see people out on the road," Shaver said. "Hopefully, they will -- despite all the accidents that have happened in the past 10 days -- keep it up."
At least three cyclists were injured in hit-and-run crashes in the Denver metro area last weekend alone.
Despite his decades of cycling experience, Shaver was still rattled by what he saw on Saturday on West 32nd Avenue near Maple Grove Park in Golden.
“I was about to pull out onto the road, and I heard this big bang like a gunshot," Shaver said. "I looked down the road again, and there was a cyclist not moving in the middle of the road.”
Shaver said a driver hit the cyclist and sped off, just like a driver did on Sunday in the El Rancho area of Jefferson County.
Deputies are still looking for Haley Mill, 38, who's accused of intentionally crashing into two cyclists on Highway 40 between Interstate 70 and Evergreen Parkway.
One of the cyclists, Lisa Ludwig, was critically injured in the crash.
“These [two cyclists] that were hit were like me," Shaver said. "They are serious cyclists. Longtime cyclists. Lifelong. They know to ride to the right because they know that a 4,000-pound car is going to win over that.”
Shaver said he's personally witnessed two or three people hit by cars over the years, and he's seen one cyclist killed.
"It's heartbreaking," he said.
Over the years, the longtime cyclist said he's noticed more cars on the road and more distracted drivers in a hurry. He worries some drivers don't consider the person riding the bike.
"We represent everybody," Shaver said. "I don’t know what motorists think about us, but we’re just like them, and that’s how I’ve always professed it."
Shaver also pictures a day when everyone can share the road peacefully.
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