You probably already noticed the Tucson Bike Lawyer icon under the site sponsors header on the right side of the page, but I wanted to take a moment to thank Erik Ryberg for his support of Tucson Velo. Erik inspired me to start the site when we spoke on a Tuesday Night Community Bike Ride.

Many of you may already read Erik’s blog TucsonBikeLawyer.com, which is a great resource for Tucson cyclists, but you may not know about all the things he does for cycling in Tucson.

Erik, who graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Idaho College of Law in 2003, began representing Tucson’s cyclists after he was knocked to the ground by a motorist leaning out of a car in 2006.

People started turning to Erik when the police would not pursue legal action against motorists who assaulted them.

Erik has been riding bikes his whole life and even raced competitively when he was younger. When he was 16 he spent four months riding for a  junior team in  Treviglio, Italy sponsored by Bianchi. To celebrate his graduation from high school, Erik spent a month riding from his home in Southern Oregon to Washington, into Idaho, down to Nevada, over the Sierras through Yosemite and then back home.

Erik said he some of his smallest cases are the ones he is most proud of. Two of the appeals cases he won solidified cyclists’ right to take the entire lane if there isn’t enough room for a car to pass.

Through his blog and complaints he and his clients have filed with the Tucson Police Department Internal Affairs Department, Erik has helped get TPD to recognize the rights of bike riders in Tucson.

Lastly, Erik volunteers his time to countless organizations in Tucson to promote cycling in Tucson. Whether it is his work with BICAS or Cyclovia Tucson or his work on issues like ghost bikes or the Tuesday Night Community Bike Ride, Erik is always looking to make Tucson a better place for cyclists.

“I am a strong believer in bike advocacy — I think that it is very important for us to work on making things better for cyclists, and I try to do a little bit of that every day,” he said.

Please join me in thanking him for his sponsorship of Tucson Velo.