Time on a Bike, with Friends, Raising Money for Causes by Bike Ambassador Mel Levin

 In last year’s blog, I wrote of how the pandemic isolation and subsequent cancellation of events allowed me to find joy in simply riding a bike, rather than “training.”

This year, I’m happy to say that event riding is B A C K, and I love to do events that are fundraisers for illnesses/institutions I care about. I’ve already done the MS ride, just last weekend, and last year’s lessons were applied to my choice to ride the shorter (34 mile) ride rather than the longer (78 mile) ride because of thunderstorms expected to be in the area before my projected finish time.

The older I get, the more important it is to listen to my body, to give it recovery when needed, and to avoid dangerous conditions like riding in a thunderstorm! Less visibility to automobile drivers! Slicker roads! In years past, I’d have felt compelled to ride the ride I signed up for, but last year’s reminder of the joy in riding a bike, allowed me to step back, to nurse my sore foot (sore from a recent distance trail run), and to ride with my OUTspokin’ teammates. All of them had either initially chosen the shorter ride or stepped down from the 78 to the 34, following my lead of “safety first.” The day couldn’t have been more perfect, and I later learned from a friend of the 20-minute downpour and wet last ten miles. A good decision, a safe decision, had been made. Additionally, I was able to ride a strong pace I was proud of...a strong 34-miler was better than a crappy 78 on that particular day.

On the upcoming Courage Classic, held out of Copper Mountain, I am the team captain for RadioActive, a team of Pediatric Radiology docs and friends/colleagues. The ride has always been a two-day event benefitting Children’s Hospital Colorado, canceled last year due to COVID and shortened to one day only for 2021. I aim to ride the 78-miler over three mountain passes and a mountain that day (the same route as the famed Copper Triangle). I also aim to change my plan if weather is bad, to be an inspiring team captain for my friends and colleagues, and to enjoy the day, whatever happens.

Time on a bike, with friends, raising money for causes I care about, that’s where you’ll find me as long as I’m fit and able.

5 Things to Do If You Come Up on an Injury by Bike Ambassador Tom Stott

Injury. Is there any scarier word for the endurance athlete? Over the years as a cyclist and runner, I’ve personally worked through a number of injuries, and I’ve helped people rehabilitate from countless proximal hamstring strains, piriformis irritations, iliotibial band restrictions, and thoracic & cervical spine pains. It’s a nightmare-turned-reality situation that can surface, seemingly, out of nowhere. Whether it’s at the ankle, knee, hip, lower back, shoulder, or neck, an inflammatory process can derail our training plans and send us spiraling down a hole of depression.

After more than an entire year of social distancing, safety precautions, and solo workouts, many of you are likely carrying some momentum behind you. Maybe you even feel fit! Then, like a sock full of quarters, you wake up one day to the reality that you can’t put your foot on the ground without extreme pain in your arch. *cue the really sad trombone slide whistle* For the unforeseeable future, your life is going to look vastly different. The hours you spend training and producing pleasure-enhancing brain chemicals will seem like an unfillable void in your life. Here’s what you should do if you find yourself in a spot of bother.

1) Talk to your close friends. If you can meet them up for a walk, do that. If you are not ambulatory at the moment, meet them up for tacos. The point is that, when injuries arise, we often crawl into seclusion. While time for reflection is an important part of the process, communication and human contact are pivotal for our psyche. SPECIAL ATTENTION to all of you men out there, as we’re historically terrible at conveying our feelings and both asking for and accepting help.

2) Plan what you want to do coming back from your injury. While this might seem a little frustrating at first, setting your sights on what you want to do is as important as setting a goal for a race. Focusing forward on the positive sets the intent for healing and will help ground your (temporarily less-active) brain.

3) Do something on your life checklist that you never get to do because you’re always busy training. Frame some inspirational posters and put them up in your training space. Paint an accent wall or put up a decorative stencil in the room where you do most of your relaxing. Clean out a part of your closet or dresser and organize your training gear, so that you’ll be more efficient when you get ready to head out the door in the future. Find a way to be beautifully productive. 

4) Breathe and accept the situation for what it is. Can you still be pissed off? Ab-so-freakin-lutely! Should you dwell in self-pity and sorrow for more than a finite amount of time (depending how how quickly you process things)? Most definitely not. Adding stress about being stressed that you can’t do the thing that helps destress you will only cause you more… well… stress. Instead, try to alleviate your frustrations through outlets that work for you.

5) Nail the mental piece to training your body. As endurance athletes, the physical body is what we nail when executing a training plan. The mental side of things? That discipline can usually use at least a little bit of work. While you may not be able to satisfy your craving for those delicious endurance endorphins, you can still provide your self with some love. One of the most self-rewarding human experiences occurs when you show gratitude and appreciation toward others. Take a moment to handwrite a letter to a friend, a training partner, a mentor, or a coach. Express how they helped you grow, either as an individual, as an athlete, or both! I’ll leave it up to you as to whether or not you want to send it. ;) Looking for something more passive in nature? Help soothe your autonomic nervous system and relax your reptilian brain with some guided meditation. Hop on Amazon Prime or YouTube and find a 20-minute routine that will provide a backbone for you to temporarily “check out.”

In my 20+ years of working with endurance athletes, I have yet to meet one that hasn’t had to overcome adversity in the form of a comeback from injury. From my experience, if all rehabilitation methods & recovery strategies are equal, the biggest separator that determines how fast an athlete bounces back easier/smoother/faster is the resilience of the individual’s mind. Find something from the list above that peaks your interest and start there. Build that bridge to recovery!

Best Advice I Ever Received: Bike Ambassador Blog Post

Best Advice I Ever Received  - by Bike Ambassador Jen Lorenz

I was recently asked about the best advice I received as a new rider. I received a ton of good advice as a new rider ranging from do not wear underwear with your bike shorts to getting a proper bike fit. I now share both pieces of advice with any new rider I meet.  This post reminds me to heed my own advice.

Last summer I purchased a new road bike. I thought I could directly transfer my measurements from my old road bike to my new road bike.  The bikes are completely different brands with completely different geometry.   

After the initial shine and awe of riding a new bike wore off, I started dreading riding my fancy new road bike. I could not figure out what it was about my new bike that I did not like. It was obviously different from my tried-and-true old bike. My old bike was familiar. It was like a limb, and we fit together perfectly.  I convinced myself that riding my new bike would involve an adjustment period. I still needed to get to know my new bike and bond with my new bike- I just needed to give it a chance.

Fast forward 6 months, and I was considering selling my new bike. We were not bonding.  Every ride felt slow and sluggish. When I got off my new bike my knees and back hurt and I felt old.  I do not like things that make me feel old. But, that was the key. As I complained to my husband about how my knees hurt and my back ached, inspiration struck- or, maybe common sense finally kicked in.  If I felt slow and sluggish and my knees hurt, maybe my seat was too low.  My husband is no bike fit expert, but he is pretty smart.  His unaided eye immediately recognized that my seat was in fact too low. If the seat was too low, it was likely other things were off, too. A quick trip to my local bike shop and sage bike fit expert could remedy my problems and save my relationship with my new bike.  Like I had been told years ago - A good bike fit is essential for every single bike in the quiver. My favorite bike fitters are at C3 in Golden - https://c3bikeshop.com

C3 Bike Shop Address:

16035 Table Mountain Parkway

Golden, CO 80403

C3 Phone Number

720-598-5950

Spreading the Bike Gospel

Co-captains Megan & Erin

Inspiring people to use their bikes for racing and commuting…

We are the Bike Ambassadors: a team of men and women cyclists passionate about racing, riding, and commuting.  Our goal is to spread the bike gospel by sharing our lessons and adventures in racing and commuting in the hopes that we get others riding, commuting, and driving less! 

Our mantra is #RIDEMOREDRIVELESS, and we hope to make it yours, too. We want to help other men and women learn how and where to start. What bike to buy?  What to wear?  What route to take?  How to change flat tires and perform basic bike maintenance? Follow along our team and we will teach you.

What does it mean to be a bike ambassador?

Here is what Megan Hottman, founder and co-captain of the team says: 

Mel and Erin enjoying a ride together. They met some 20 years ago, in Washington DC, and have been friends ever since!

Bike Ambassador Gerry escorting his daughter to work.

Being a bike ambassador means to welcome everyone into the cycling community and family. Everyone. It means to show people how the bike makes your life better—to lead by example—so that they may be intrigued enough to ask, “How can I get into that?” Guide them.

It means to help and to coach newer riders with equipment selection, tips and tricks to make riding more enjoyable, and showing them safe routes to ride. It means to demonstrate lawful and conscious riding behavior to other road users so that they feel at ease near cyclists and are motivated to share the road with cyclists.  Similarly, it means riding courteously on bike trails and bike paths so that other users like pedestrians and runners, families, and small children see cyclists as allies and friends.

Being a bike ambassador means every time you put your leg over the top tube of a bike, you consciously choose to embody the best of cycling and to show it to the rest of the world—to everyone you encounter. This means when wearing a bike helmet into a coffee shop or store, you greet people with a friendly “hello” so they will be left with a positive association with you as a cyclist, and therefore, cyclists in general.

 It means saying “on your left” or using your bell. It means not speeding on congested speed-limit paths. It means waving to motorists and acknowledging their friendly gesture, like letting you proceed first. It means a head nod or wave to other cyclists.

Our gravel and cold-weather racer, Christopher.

Being a bike ambassador means you go out into this world showing it the incredible and contagious virtues of cycling! This is what our team strives to do daily when we are out on our bikes or talking about cycling.

This year, our team is made up of eight women and six men, mostly based in Colorado, who ride all kinds of bikes—road, mountain, fat tire, e-bikes, and even cargo bikes—and participate in various disciplines including cyclo-cross, road, mountain, and gravel rides. In the past, we have even had members who raced in track cycling at a local velodrome. Nine members of our team will be riding at FoCo Fondo on July 25th.

We come from all walks of life, vary in age, and occupation. We have one retiree on our team. Some race, some use their bikes exclusively for commuting. Even if our Bike Ambassadors use their bikes for different purposes, they all have one thing in common: their passion for cycling.

Melissa is our cargo-bike expert !

Ben Boncella represents our team in Raleigh, North Carolina. He recently moved there from Colorado and loves to run and road bike.

Jen Lorenz has not always been a bike rider but is one of our long-standing members. She has been on the team since 2012 when it was known as TheCyclist-Lawyer team.  When Jen moved to Colorado with her husband from the Midwest in 2006, she did not even own a bike. At that time, she vowed that she would never be one of those people riding a bike on the side of the road wearing Spandex. That is until her husband started riding bikes with friends and having a really good time. Jen wanted in on the fun. Her husband bought her a pink bubble gum Trek bike off the Internet. After a trip to Italy for a bike vacation, Jen was hooked.  She then raced Tri for a Cure and loved the bike portion of the race.  Jen met up with Megan at the pillars of Lookout Mountain when the School of Mines used to host the race up Lookout and learned about the team. She then traded in her pretty, pink Trek for a race bike and has been an avid rider ever since.

Jen & Cheryl

Over the years, Jen has done most every ride and race in Colorado and has made amazing friends through cycling. She has traveled to some incredible places on her bike. She and her husband have made it a priority in their vacation travels to stay at hotels where bikes are available or cities where they can rent bikes at a bike kiosk. While in Kyoto, Japan, Jen and her husband rented e-bikes from the hotel. They were able to explore the city in a way they never would have if they had taken the subway or a taxi.

This year, Jen would like to participate in any race or ride she can. Last year, all of her races were cancelled because of COVID and her office closed as well. She typically rides to work as much as possible. However, with no office to bike to, her regular commute was limited. Since everyone is working from home these days, Jen and her husband were able to spend most of the summer in Salida where you bike everywhere.

As a Bike Ambassador, Jen hopes to introduce people to the extreme joys of biking.  Bikes are not just a mode of transportation, although they can also be that. People who bike are a community, and biking transcends barriers like language and politics.  The one person who comments most frequently on her Strava rides is a cyclist she met in Peru. In 2018, Jen was one of our Bike Ambassadors who worked together with the Golden Police Department to film public service videos called “Keeping it Wheel” to educate both motorists and cyclists about cycling safety. 

Jen will be participating in the 25-mile ride at FoCo Fondo. She will be racing Tri Boulder the day before, so the Foco Fondo will be her recovery ride.

Cheryl is a World Record Holder. She, along with a team of 24 other riders, rode 28 hours on a static bike to generate awareness about cycling and to raise money for PeopleForBikes.

Cheryl Gaiser is another long-time member of the Bike Ambassador team. She has been on the team for seven years and raced on prior teams that Megan managed. “There’s nothing like the camaraderie we have as a team during rides,” she says. Cheryl is constantly looking to assist new riders with tips. This year, she will be helping the BA team members who are participating in the 50-mile ride at FoCo Fondo for the first time. “I think we as cyclists have a real opportunity to get more people involved with cycling,” she says.

Cheryl took a part-time job at a local bike shop because she loves cycling so much and has been taking some of her co-workers on gravel training rides.

This year, her goals include getting more involved in Gran Fondo, Tours and half or full Century rides. Cheryl says these all seem scary at first, but if we can get out there as bike ambassadors and show people that it is doable, she thinks we will see more ridership.

Andrew often commutes to work…sometimes even with his dog!

Thomas Stott has been on the team two years, though he has been collaborating with Megan on all-things-bike-related for a little over three years. He decided to join the Bike Ambassador team because he was ready to take his voice into advocacy.  He is a lifelong athlete and is excited for the chance to spread positivity and good vibes through to his teammates.

Thomas is our advocacy liason.

Tom has known about all the benefits of riding a bike for most of his life (his dad had him riding everywhere on two wheels), but he had only shared it minimally with the public.  When Megan extended an invitation and the opportunity to link up with some like-minded cyclists, he was "all-in."

As a Bike Ambassador his goals this year include:

●      posting in the social spheres about how to include a bike in your life more,

●      leading a neighborhood activity group (pairing parents with kiddos on bikes when things open a bit more/more vaccinations are administered),

●      continuing to set an example of utilizing the bike for commuting purposes and encouraging coworkers to follow suit.

Tom tries to govern his life by the Golden Rule and thinks of spreading the bike gospel in the same scope.  He finds the best way to bring up all the positivity around bikes is to really take a few steps in your audience's shoes.  Are you talking to drivers who are mad that they must share the road with cyclists?  “Better watch your tone!  Never meet aggression with aggression; it will get you nowhere,” he says.  This example is exactly why, at 38 years old, he is ready to start speaking out about what he believes in a bit louder.  From kindly chatting with a gentleman that yelled at him before he turned into a shopping center to speaking to a group of Girl Scouts, spreading the bike gospel starts with spreading love, kindness, and good intention.

Juliet rides road & gravel and is starting to commute by bike from Denver to Golden for work!

Tim’s, aka Tmac, racing/riding plans include Old Man Winter, Sunrise to Sunset MTB, FoCo Fondo, Dead Man Gravel, and the Triple Bypass

Jess will be riding the 50-mile Foco Fondo

Please visit our blog to get lots of tips and advice from our Bike Ambassadors and find out more about the team. We have covered everything from how to dress for cold weather riding to transitioning from a road bike to an e-road bike. You will find lots of useful information especially if you are new to biking.

Our team is sponsored by: TheCyclist-Lawyer, Champion System, Crafted Energy, C3 Bike Shop and Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center.

Marieke & Megan Tackle Dirty Kanza!

Dirty Kanza 2018

MARIEKE'S RECAP: 

Welcome to the Flint Hills!

What makes someone ride 200 miles on dirt roads in the tire chewing Flint Hills of eastern Kansas? I actually don’t know, but it is rewarding! Soon after I got my Niner RLT gravel bike in the Spring of 2015, I learned about the Dirty Kanza and could not let go of the thought of one day riding this race. It seemed like an intriguing challenge to be skilled and strong enough to manage the dirt terrain and able to deal with mechanical issues and weather changes during the race. I rode a few local gravel grinders to test things out and I only got more and more determined and my rides got gradually longer. The cool thing about gravel grinding is that it expands your horizons. I explored so many new roads and new places, even though I have lived in the same area for about 20 years it has opened a whole new world. 2017 was my first year and things went very well. The conditions were optimal then and course records were set. Of course, I had to sign up again.

My trusted bike, patiently waiting in the rain before the start of the DK200

This year I was nervous to get in the lottery, but I made it in. After a stressful start of 2018 when I picked up the flu, lost my job for a while, and dug myself a deep physical and mental hole, I could barely even ride my bike. I did get help and had a training schedule made that very gradually built up. I was impatient and only slowly started to feel better on and also off my bike. Training for the Kanza does take a lot of time: in the weekends towards race day I would usually ride both days for many hours and did shorter rides during the week. Sorry to everyone in my life whom I neglected. Riding in the Flint Hills sometimes feels like an interval training with short calf-biting climbs out of the plenty river crossings, many rollers, and a few real hills that are all longer than you think. Yes, better prepare for it as Kansas is not flat!

Running down 6 flights of stairs before the start as the elevators backed up in the dorms was a good warmup before we learned the start was delayed by 30 minutes (Photo: Francien Dechesne).

Seeking shelter before the start (Photo: Francien Dechesne).

Predictions for the race this year were hot, windy, but no rain. What do you know. We got up and a big thunderstorm was nearing Emporia. The radar looked ominous. While pedaling to the start at 5:30am it started to rain and the winds were howling. I found some shelter with many other riders under a garage-type structure near the start line when the real storm hit with lightning and more rain. The start was now postponed by half an hour. Miraculously everything dried up by 6:30 and only the roads were a bit muddy for the first part of the ride, although nothing too bad. There was an unannounced detour around the mud massacre stretch of two years ago, which caused some confusion for all who were riding on their GPS, like myself. I stopped, but turning around in the massive stream of riders coming behind me was obviously not an option, and on we went…

Counting down at the start (Photo: Francien Dechesne).

My sister, Francien, was my crew and mechanic this year and since she rode the Kanza last year she knew exactly what her job was: lube my chain, check tires, change out camel bags and hand me food. Oh, and point me to the bathroom, which is not always obvious. She was great and I was very happy to see her in Madison and every stop after.

The second leg flew by with some tailwinds here and there and was good for the spirits. I enjoyed the waiving grasses and felt like I was flying at times. Maybe I felt a little too good in hindsight, I was only halfway in Eureka.

When we turned into the strong northern headwinds at about mile 110 between stop 2 and 3 it did not take long before I burned through my diminishing reserves in my legs quickly and tiredness crept in. I tried to trade of pulls in the wind with some other riders but these groups never lasted for too long. Nearing Madison I was often alone. The optimism from before Eureka had faded. I now had started to worry about beating the Sun and reverted to the thought that just finishing would be good enough, avoiding truly bonking with everything I could.

Disillusioned riders waiting for a parked train blocking the course, while the sun set! After 50 minutes of waiting a detour was authorized to get around it.

In Madison, Francien told me that I still had a chance to make the sun cutoff and on we went. I found a little group to battle the still strong headwinds and we traded places for a long time. However, just a few miles after the Salsa Chaise it was clear that there were a bunch of people gathered at the train crossing. We slowed down and learned that some of them been there for 20 minutes already waiting for a parked train at mile 199 of the race. Oh oh….  And in the distance the sun set. Disillusioned riders were scattered all over now and the pack was growing. Another train passed, but no movement on the parked train. Finally, a car arrived to inform us that a 3.5-mile detour had been authorized to the finish. A bit confused we all started riding. The energy in the peloton was jittery. Enough wheels to grab for the last 8 + detour miles and there was not much thinking. We just went fast in the dark, still trying to beat the Sun (which had long set) straight through unannounced potholes, up the last hill and then the finish was there. I was blinded by all the lights, overwhelmed by all the cheering people and just so happy. I did it, I had finished again! I will just have to come back next year to take revenge on that train.

 Overwhelming happiness at the finish after battling headwinds and trains (Photo: Francien Dechesne).

We did it! (Photo: Francien Dechesne).

I found my sister, a happy reunion, and we waited for Bike Ambassador teammate Megan who was riding single speed, a heroic accomplishment in these winds.

The best thing about the Kanza is that the entire town of Emporia goes all out for biking. It gets flooded with cyclists from all over the world and people are very welcoming. The feel of that entire community is the most amazing part of the Kanza experience and it is so great to be part of that! I am also proud to be one of the 200 women on the 200 miles.

____________________________________________________________

MEGAN'S RECAP 

-Why you decided to participate in DK: After the DK100 in 2015 (the "mud year"), and a failed attempt in 2016 (bailed at mile 165), and being too injured in 2017 to race, I had some serious unfinished business this year!  Not only that though, this event is magical.  Jim and LeLan have done an amazing job with this event, as has the town of Emporia.  You've never seen anything like it.  I couldn't wait to get back -to see friends from KS and MO and NE that I don't get to see often, and to take another stab at finishing my first DK200.  

-What kind of bike you rode: I went all in and dropped all the gears but one. That's right- I went singlespeed.  I figured it was the best way to force myself to slow down and focus on the finish first, and the race second.  The one gear forces me to put one foot in front of the other, to coast quite often, and to sit up and look around.  It was everything I hoped for, and more.  

How you prepared for the race - tips and advice to share with people considering doing the race next year: I did lots of miles this spring (overall targeting the 10,000 miles this year helps!), and the AZ Gravel Chino Grinder 105 mile gravel race back in early May.  That was perfect tune-up.  I also did the math on number of calories I needed to each (approx 100-150/hour), how many bottles of fluid I needed to be successful (about 1/hour, or around 18-19 for the day), and mentally, things I could think about and focus on during the really awful solo, headwind stretches (I literally called my therapist on the drive to DK and we talked about "homework" I could work on in my head during the race.  And it totally worked).

Highlights and challenges during the race: Highlights- talking to other riders, meeting new people, riding next to a guy on a FIXIE! (yes!), seeing the cows, flint hills, thanking my lucky stars I didn't have any flat tires or mechanicals... seeing the sun set out there, riding in the dark with a few other riders, all with our headlights on, over the crunchy gravel ... 

Lowlights: the thunderstorm that rolled through that morning delaying the start made me nervous about the conditions (they were fine) and I was thankful we weren't riding off into the thunderstorm.  And -miles 105-165 - all into a strong steep headwind -road rarely changing, just gutting it out with some low moments...  

Your impressions/thoughts before, during and after the race: everything I'd hoped it would be and more.  We began with a sponsors VIP event Thursday night, Friday morning I set up our tent in the expo and embarked on the group shake-out ride, made my way back to the expo, then cleaned up and helped co-moderate the women's panel, back to the expo, we packed up, I rested up and then it was race morning! 

Any message that you would like to share to inspire/motivate people to participate next year: Add this to your race list, your bucket list, your life list. This is a truly special event -one you must experience to understand.  Whether you do the DK100 or DK200 (or 350 XL!) you must must must race this event at least once.  You've got till 3am to finish.  And you'll learn so much about yourself out there.  

Cheryl's Story: Conquering fears and inspiring others!

We first met Cheryl in 2012. She was hit by a car while riding her bike, and she hired our firm to represent her.  Following the close of her case, she joined our cycling team, and began racing road races and criteriums.  Unfortunately, she suffered a bad crash last season during a race, and her injuries prompted surgery and a lengthy recovery.

Cheryl is the consummate ambassador, teammate, friend, and source of inspiration.  She reminds us that we can let setbacks keep us down, or we can fight back and turn them into sources of motivation and fuel for our fire- in whatever endeavor we pursue.  Please - enjoy her story!

*With huge thanks to Cheryl, Justin Balog, and the Dirty Kanza! (Click on the image below to enjoy the video!).

Cheryl was hit by a car and injured. Then she healed, tackled bike races, and was injured again. Dirty Kanza provided her the perfect come-back story and goal- watch this, and be inspired.

#200women200miles: Megan Hottman

Megan is a lawyer. She is a cycling advocate and team leader. She is a finisher of the Dirty Kanza 100!

Tell us about your biking: I ride ALLLLLL the bikes  My stable includes MTB, CX (one is a SS), Road bike, TT bike, Track bike and fat bike. All Cannondales except for my track bike and Spot CX belt drive. Plus my 1995 Bridgestone commuter (first “real” bike I got – bought it when I was 15!). I started road racing around 2002-2003 and raced road and then track through 2011. I began switching to more CX and gravel races in 2012-2013 and am firmly hooked on the long distance stuff now. Long gravel races like Kanza and also Ironman triathlons – I just completed my second IM a few weeks ago. Beyond riding for fitness and fun, I also began using my bikes for transportation in earnest in 2012… I ride to work, for groceries, to the bank, library, hair salon, you name it … I LOVE the days my car never leaves the garage. I enjoy riding bikes in a kit but also in jeans and a dress coat too. I think it’s good for motorists to see us in all forms of cycling.

Read more here! 

Podcast: FattyCast and The Cyclist-Lawyer

Enjoyed very much speaking with Elden Nelson, otherwise known as Fat Cyclist, about bikes, crashes, laws and more.  Click the story link above to give it a listen! 

Also - the podcast references a blog post I wrote a few years back about insurance needs for cyclists... You can access that article here: http://303cycling.com/what-cyclists-should-know-about-insurance

Interbike Recap

I have not been to Interbike since 2011- when I was there in a somewhat-official-capacity as a rider for the new Primal/MapMyRide women's pro team.  While that was a fun experience, I distincly recall telling myself I didn't want to return for awhile -all the standing, cement, lack of sunshine, and cigarette smoke, really detracted from the event for me.  It was fun to network, but it was an uncomfortable way of doing it.  (Seriously -why do we bring such a healthy industry together in such an unhealthy place?!).

Fast forward 4 years and I found myself back at Interbike (click here if you don't know what it is).  This year I was there to re-connect with friends in the industry and to share some bike advocacy ideas I have with some folks and of course, to meet new people and spread the bike law gospel!  I was only there 2 days/2 nights, but it was a packed trip which included 2 highlight events for me: Hearing Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper announce his plan to spend $100 million on biking in Colorado LIVE at the industry breakfast, and watching Cross Vegas (this year -it was also a World Cup!).  

Here is my trip recap in photos: 

In case you missed it, #SOCKGATE was a thing at IB this year.  Luckily I found an amazing sock store where I bought my own fancy socks (perfect for cooler CX races this fall!).  Can't go wrong with unicorns and rainbows:

Joined my good friend Jay Thomas, one of the original teams/directors who got me into cycling, for an industry dinner at the Four Seasons -which was capped off by GIANT pieces of carrot cake (my favorite).  We rationalized by saying we needed to eat our vegetables... 

I'm a bit Colorado-proud here, but it was ao amazing to hear People for Bikes (based in Boulder!) speak and update us, and then introduce our Colorado Gov as the keynote speaker at the industry breakfast.  And to hear the good news - the Gov is promising $100 million for biking in CO!  I think every Coloradoan in the room (myself included) was beaming. 

People for Bikes hosted the breakfast and as always, killed it with the clever graphics and design (and bacon).

I met a great group of guys from Chain Reaction bicycles in Georgia. They are a large Cannondale dealer so I was in good company! 

This is the Cooker booth - the brand of the fatbike that I own (owned by the Cannondale corporate family).  I thought their design, setup and colors was one of the coolest, cleanest booths there. 

Brendan Lyons with Look Save a Life (I love their mantra: safety is everyone's responsiblity) with Lisa and Nick from PrimalWear.  Three amazing people all in one place.  Love that they are working together on Brendan's cycling apparel for his events this year.  Primal had an AMAZING booth setup there.

Lisa Hudson, friend and fellow Golden business owner of Feedback Sports, models their newest hottest product, the Omnium -a packable roller system that solves ALL of our bike race/travel warmup problems!  

Friend Katie Macarelli, Marketing Guru for Feedback Sports, racing Wheelers & Dealers 

I swear that looked like part of the old Boulder Velodrome... 

Blue Shark in the sand pit... because, why not? 

Katie F'n Compton warms up for the women's pro race on one of the new Omnium Trainers.

Watching the race on the big screen and live, from the VIP hill.  Truly an amazing experience watching the ladies tear up the FIRST CYCLOCROSS WORLD CUP ever on american soil!!! 

LUNA ladies put together amazing teamwork and took the win with Katarina Nash riding away solo and her teammate placing in the top 5.  Incredible. 

Kate Powlinson, friend/fellow racer/People for Bikes Goddess, shows off their awesome photo booth to a visitor:

I love these bikes dressed up like cars.  They are all setup to protect the rider from the elements, they make hauling a heavier load- like several bags of groceries much easier -and they have headlights, taillights and turn signals... so cool.

Got to see our friends from HandleBar Mustache too -their booth was rocking! 

To sum up: I realized just how many amazing companies and advocacy groups in cycling are Colorado-based... it felt in a way like we had all traveled to Vegas to see each other when we could have just hosted an event here in Colorado ;)  But all in all Interbike was how i remembered it to be, but with so much momentum growing for bike advocacy, I left refreshed and excited to see where Colorado biking -and biking nationwide -goes from here! 

Golden Will Host First-Ever Women's Race At USPCC

"Local cyclist Megan Hottman is counting on the Golden community to roll out the red carpet for the pro women cyclists riding into town for the inaugural women’s race in the upcoming USA Pro Challenge.

“They get to come here and race hard,” said Hottman, a racer and former competitive pro, “but also be recipients of Golden hospitality.”

Click link to read entire story in the Golden Transcript!

A really fun cyclocross video!

Many thanks to Shawn Curry and Jamie Servaites for this really fun video, taken of last weekend's Regional Cyclocross championships!  

Women on Bikes!!!

On February 10-11, I attended the Colorado Bike Summit.  This was my third year attending, but my first year involved in a role beyond just that of participant.  This year I was asked to serve as a moderator of a small group during the Women in Cycling break-out session. We were asked to discuss the barriers (real and perceived) that keep women from riding bikes, and also how best to put the FUN back into riding for women! 

My group was amazinginly diverse, with male and female representatives from New Belgium, PrimalWear, Gates, PeopleforBikes.org, communication and real estate companies, Campus Cycles, and more.  We had great discussions related to these topics and my biggest takeaway was that women like to be asked.  They prefer to be invited.  Rare are the women who go barging in unhindered; more commonly, women wait to be welcomed in -often by another woman.  This is perhaps based on the sentiment that women do not want to seem presumpuous or overbearing (or want to avoid rejection by waiting until they are affirmatively asked to come in, to be a part of the cycling environment).  I also realized that women respond best on a one-on-one basis, i.e. one woman sees another ride her bike in to work and strikes up a conversation at the office about how she packs her clothes, what route she takes, where she stores her bike, how she showers or gets dressed, and more.  Bringing women into cycling is going to happen one new female cyclist at a time, they aren't going to come by droves.  I think as bike industry folks, marketers and so on, people need to change their approach.  

We women already on bikes need to own more responsibility -we especially need to extend the invite to women at work, in our neighborhoods, church groups and elsewhere, one future-cyclist-at-a-time.  

Another fascinating element to this session was the discovery of amazing Women-Bike-Oriented resources on the League of American Bicyclists website. Check out this AMAZING link!!  And even cooler, check out this publication called WOMEN ON A ROLL -WomenBikeReport(web).pdf - chock full of awesome stats and infographics.  I encourage everyone who is interested in getting more women on bikes to review this!  

So what are we going to do about it??  How do we invite more women in -not to race, but simply to ride?  Here's what I'm doing: 

#1-Let's put our $$ where our mouths are and invest in this concept.  I'm thrilled to announce that my law office will now sponsor (in addition to our racing team), a Women's Commuter Team.  Geared towards women who have not ridden, or who have ridden for recreation but never as a form of transportation, this team aims to equip ladies with the gear, knowledge and know-how, so they can turn their bike into a way of getting to work or grabbing some groceries.  

#2-Host fun, no clacky shoes, no chamois allowed ride events! Get rid of the fancy bikes and fancy outfits.  Make riding welcoming.  Our law firm is going to start hosting "spandexless" rides (and clinics) where ladies will be invited to wear their "normal" clothes and regular shoes to pedal around the town of Golden socializing and networking.  Please join us for these events, whether you are a regular rider or maybe you haven't ridden a bike since you were a child!

I hope you'll join me and make it your personal mission to get at least one new female rider on a bike in the very near future!