by Steve Brown
(Editor's Note: Steve has been involved with HeartCycle since it began. He has served as the organization's president; his name and HeartCycle are considered the same by certain individuals.)
HeartCycle was born from the ideas of Denver cyclists Robert Kubik and Dr. Phillip Oliva. In October 1977, they proposed that the Colorado Heart Association sponsor a long-distance bicycle tour of Colorado to promote bicycling for cardiovascular fitness and health. Dr. Oliva, a noted cardiologist, sought to refute the commonly held notion that strenuous exercise at high elevations was injurious to the heart and lungs.
The Colorado Heart Association warmly endorsed the proposal as one of its major activities for 1978. Twenty-four cyclists took part in the first HeartCycle tours in 1978, a 1000-mile route and a 1000-kilometer (621-mile) route. The riders participated in a bicycling training program before the tour, taking cardiovascular stress tests before, during and after the tours. The results of the tests confirmed that, with proper physical conditioning, strenuous aerobic exercise dramatically increases the heart's ability to withstand stress.
In 1979, HeartCycle expanded to 4 routes with 41 cyclists taking part. The Colorado news media gave wide coverage to the tours. HeartCycle helped heighten the public awareness of the importance of cardiovascular exercise and the value of cycling.
The success of the first two years of HeartCycle led to the incorporation of the Colorado HeartCycle Association, Inc. as a non-profit Colorado corporation in April 1980. This new independent status permitted HeartCycle to become self-supporting, no longer dependent on the Colorado Heart Association and other contributors. With its new status, HeartCycle blossomed in 1980 into a national event with 8 routes and a total of 104 riders from 28 states taking part.
HeartCycle grew steadily. In 1985, it conducted its first tours outside the Front Range area. HeartCycle conducted its first out-of-state bicycle tour in 1986 to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment Tour. HeartCycle began its cross-country skiing program in 1988. That same year, the club sponsored its first mountain bike tour, the Hard Rock Tour, and its first foreign tour, the Canadian Rockies Tour.
Note: This article is based on a previous one published in Heart-2-Heart in l989. It's presented here to help us remember our roots as we begin the club's 29th year.
Thanks to Chris Matthews for editing this page.
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Updated Mar 1, 2006.