Jury Awards $353 Million in Death of Champion Cyclist Gwen Inglis

Inglis Family Hopes Verdict Will Deter Impaired Driving

Left to Right - Rich Kaudy, Megan Hottman, Mike Inglis, Julie Erffmeyer, and Keith Erffmeyer

A Jefferson County jury awarded Gwen Inglis’ family a $353 million verdict on December 6, 2022 as a result of a wrongful death civil lawsuit. Megan Hottman and Rich Kaudy of The Kaudy Firm, Megan’s mentor and trial partner, represented Gwen’s husband, Michael, and her Estate.

The six-person jury heard evidence and testimony for a day and a half before reaching its verdict. The verdict breaks down as follows:

  • $100 million in non-economic damages, for pain and suffering,

  • $3 million in economic damages, for the loss of Gwen’s income, and

  • $250 million in punitive damages.

It is important to note that this was not a settlement. A settlement occurs when both parties agree to a resolution before trial. This was a verdict reached by a jury following evidence and witness testimony presented at trial. It is very uncommon to see a verdict of this size in JeffCo or Colorado.

We are hoping this verdict is used as a precedent in future cycling cases and that other lawyers representing injured or killed cyclists will point to this verdict in their cases and say—this is what you should do here as well. We want all drivers who hit cyclists getting hit with these kinds of verdicts and monetary consequences. 

Megan Hottman

Although there is no amount of money that will bring Gwen back, we hope that this verdict will send a message to drivers that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is not acceptable. In the words of Gwen’s husband, "No amount can bring back Gwennie, but $350 million is a tribute to Gwen's amazing character."

Gwen Erffmeyer Inglis

Gwen, a 2019 US Masters road race champion in the 45-49 age group, was just 46 years old at the time of her death. On May 16, 2021, she and her husband were out on a training ride in Lakewood, CO and were riding in a designated bike lane on Alameda Parkway. It was a Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. when Ryan Montoya, the driver, struck Gwen from behind after drifting into the bike lane with his vehicle. Montoya nearly hit Michael, who was riding behind his wife, just seconds before the crash. According to witness testimony, both Gwen and her bike were catapulted in the air landing about twenty feet from where she was hit. The forensic pathologist ruled the cause of death multiple blunt force injuries. Montoya was coming back from Blackhawk and driving under the influence of alcohol as well as methamphetamine, Xanax and marijuana. He was also sleep-deprived and had been driving back and forth to Blackhawk since that Friday.

Montoya pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide-driving under the influence in April 2022 as the result of a plea deal. In June 2022, a judge sentenced him to eight years in prison which was the maximum sentence the Judge could hand down based on the plea deal. Montoya will be eligible for parole in 2025.

Prior to killing Gwen, Montoya was convicted of possession and distribution of a controlled substance and a 2014 DUI. Just ten days before Gwen’s death, Montoya was charged with DUI in Gilpin County.

Photo by Natalie Starr

Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, all of us…by Bike Ambassador Juliet Byerly

All of us have something in common.  Millions of Americans experience this, yet somehow, such a deep stigma exists as a culture, we generally avoid talking about it.  On May 31st, Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open revealing she had been experiencing “bouts of depression.”  Then this summer, at the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles withdrew from the Vault and Uneven Bars finals to focus on her mental health.  

They had the world’s spotlight shining on them. 

They had trained for years for this moment.

Millions of fans waited to watch them compete and see them hoist a trophy or a gold medal once again.

Instead, they used that spotlight to say something few world-famous athletes have ever dared to say out loud: I need to step away from this competition and focus on my mental health. Yes, all of us struggle with mental health issues but most of us are afraid to say it out loud.

2020 was a really bad year for most of us regarding mental health.  2021 isn’t shaping up to be that much better.  So, what happens when the thing I’ve always used to “focus on my mental health” - riding bikes - is the last thing I want to do right now?  I’m going to use this space to go ahead and unpack this for a minute.  

I got my first road bike in 1979.  It was a Huffy Contestant and it was way too big for me.  I didn’t care and I made it work.  I didn’t exactly have the most mentally stable home when I was a child.  As a matter of fact, it was dysfunctional.  There was a lot of love, but you probably could open the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) on a random page and you could find something that would apply to any member of my family.    I quickly learned I could use my bike to escape.  So, escape I did. I rode that thing everywhere in Los Angeles where I was born and raised.  That continued when I moved to Boulder, Colorado for college.  Ever since then, bikes have been an important part of my life – mostly casually for transportation, but also to escape a bad marriage, bad jobs, breakups, you name it.  So then in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic struck and our world was turned upside down.  Naturally, a whole heck of a lot of us got out there on our bikes.  So did I.  As a matter of fact, after my cat died, then I weathered a devastating breakup, and some other awful things happened to me during the lock down, I decided enough is enough and it was time for me to make my mental health my number one priority.  So, I went to my job as paralegal at a fancy Cherry Creek law firm, walked straight into my boss’s office and quit my job.  Focusing on my mental health was going to be my new job. I rode my bike every weekday for 2 months.  As a result, I had never felt better in my life.  I started a new job that I absolutely love that literally fell into my lap in December 2020, but since sometime in September of this year, I just stopped riding my bike.  I just couldn’t do it and I was beating myself up because of it. Why??? What was going on with me?

I can think of a million reasons that I could discuss here ad nausem and none of them really matter.  For a while, I felt guilty about every single one of them.  I felt guilty about neglecting my bikes, not getting all the miles in, FOMO, missed my riding partner/ex boyfriend, et cetera, et cetera.  Here’s where I landed:  I needed to give myself a break.  It’s not a competition!  My bikes got me through the really difficult times, and they will be there for me again when I’m ready.  Mental health is such a mysterious and fragile thing and I’m finally figuring out how to observe and honor it.  For now, I’m taking a break from riding AND IT’S PERFECTLY OK.  I feel much better after I gave myself permission to not worry about it.  I know that one day soon, I’m going to look over at Stella and Sidra (my bikes) and say “let’s go” and it’s going to feel amazing.

Most of us can’t just quit our jobs to ride bikes or do whatever it is that makes us happy.  I was fortunate to be able to do that.  The point is that we have got to listen to ourselves and normalize taking care of our mental health and talking about it.  Whatever that means for each of us as individuals, do whatever it takes to make it happen.  Set up your life to accommodate that, and if you don’t know how, ask for help. If you don’t know where to start, hit me up.  I would be happy to get you started. Until then, enjoy the ride 😊

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

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 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.

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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.

The Importance of Events and Organized Rides by Bike Ambassador Erin

Are you still of the mindset that bike events, races, and organized rides are just for “hard-core” weekend warriors or elite athletes? While there are plenty of events geared toward these types of cyclists, there are a ton of great events for the average biker - or total newbie - to participate in as well. 

The biggest reason I’m an advocate of signing up for an event is that it creates a sense of urgency and purpose for your training. By registering for an event, you are essentially committing to weekly rides and workouts in order to prepare for the race. This can be particularly helpful if you are new to cycling or tend to get discouraged easily. Knowing you have an event or organized ride can help you stick to your training program despite bad weather, setbacks, busy schedules, or waning motivation. 

I believe these types of events also help break down boundaries and build confidence. Most events are held to raise money for a charity or greater cause and this can help unite people of different backgrounds for a common cause. Charity events bring together riders of various abilities as well and you can always learn something from more experienced cyclists. Further, you will build confidence by setting a goal and achieving it.

There’s no better feeling than crossing the finish line of a century ride or multi-day event for the first time. 

If you still aren’t convinced, consider that they are just plain fun! From bragging rights to cool swag bags to post-race celebrations, organized cycling events offer something for everyone. Grab a friend or two and find a local race in your area. And you’ll have a built-in training partner if you register for an event together. There are so many great ones in Colorado that you won’t have a hard time finding one that works for you.

I like to pick a couple of rides each season to make sure I’m putting in the training miles. This year, I’m doing the FoCo Fondo gravel ride in July, which will be a totally new experience for me since I am new to gravel riding. Several of my fellow Bike Ambassadors will be joining me on this one so it’s sure to be a blast! Two years ago, I did the Venus de Miles ride with a couple of friends and I’m planning to do it again this year at the end of August. Venus de Miles is Colorado’s original and largest all women’s bike ride and benefits Greenhouse Scholars, an education nonprofit that cultivates extraordinary leaders to change low-income families and communities. Great ride for a great cause! Who wants to join me?

“Parks for the People” Rally by Bike Ambassador Melissa Colonno

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This year, one of my goals as a Bike Ambassador has been to get more involved in local bike advocacy. I was thrilled to take part in Denver Streets Partnership’s “Advocacy Academy” this spring and learn about different ways I can advocate for better bike infrastructure in my community. As part of my work in this role, I helped organize a “Parks for the People” event in Denver’s City Park in April.

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Denver, like many cities across the world, closed several streets to vehicle traffic during the COVID pandemic in order to make more room for people to recreate safely while still distancing themselves from others. In early 2021, Denver reconsidered the role of these streets in our city and parks, and whether or not the closures to cars should be made permanent. Many parks in the city remain closed to vehicle traffic, but the Denver Parks and Recreation Department decided to reopen most of City Park’s roads to cars.

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The April “Parks for the People” rally was a family-friendly event celebrating the use of the park by people walking and rolling. The goal was to bring attention to the safety issues of having vehicles in the park, and also to advocate for a car-free route through the park for transportation and recreation. As part of the event, I had the opportunity to lead a group ride through the park. It was my first time leading a ride, and the experience was one I will never forget. So much enthusiasm! 

Participating in the rally was a very educational experience for me, especially because I am newer to advocacy work. More specifically, in this instance I learned a great deal about opposing viewpoints. I firmly believe in the value of car-free spaces, but I now understand better the ways in which decisions like these might have unintended consequences. Change is hard, and Denver is a city where many chose to be or are forced to be car dependent.

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Nevertheless, my work in transportation advocacy is bolstered by the support and enthusiasm of the Bike Ambassador group. I look forward to continuing to work to improve the safety and bikeability of Denver’s streets!

Best Advice I Ever Received: Bike Ambassador Blog Post

Best Advice I Ever Received  - by Bike Ambassador Jen Lorenz

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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.

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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

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C3 Bike Shop Address:

16035 Table Mountain Parkway

Golden, CO 80403

C3 Phone Number

720-598-5950


Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are: Show Up

By Megan Hottman

In the course of one week, I had two awesome opportunities to get involved in policy-making and aspects of bike advocacy and transportation and safety.

The first was June 4-6 with People for Bikes on a Women’s Fly-in to DC. There, 30 women from the bike industry along with female staff members of PFB, descended upon Capitol Hill to meet with elected officials and their staff, to advocate for bikes. Specifically, we had 3 asks (detailed below). PFB facilitated the meetings with our state officials (and their staff and interns). As well, we had the chance to network and connect as women in the bike industry who are working hard to effect change not just in transportation but across the cycling industry.

Our 3 asks, as outlined in our PFB materials:

Support bike funding priorities in the 2020 reauthorization of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. Every six years, Congress must reauthorize transportation funding. That happens in the FAST Act, which covers long‐term funding for maintenance and new projects on highways, railways, bike infrastructure and more.

Our main priorities of the FAST Act include:

● Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)

● Federal Lands Transportation Program (FLTP) set‐aside

● Safety

Modernize the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)

TAP is the largest federal funding source to help communities build bike infrastructure for on and off road bike facilities, recreational trail projects, safe routes to schools, and protected bike lanes. We are asking for increased funding and modernized funding mechanisms to empower local decision makers to direct TAP funds.

Federal Land Transportation Program (FLTP) set‐aside

As cycling becomes more popular on federal lands, we support a 5% set‐aside for bike and pedestrian infrastructure within the FLTP. This would help address the need for safer bicycling and walking on federal lands and would help to prioritize all modes of transportation, including those that are non‐motorized.

Increased funding for safety data

There is a lack of safety data for cyclists. We support expanding data to include injuries as well as fatalities to help with safety planning and prioritizing infrastructure.

This was a tremendous experience! From the chance to connect and network with lady bosses across the bike industry, to the chance to meet our elected officials and their staff members in person, to the chance to really sit down and think about, and articulate, what we are asking for on behalf of the cycling advocacy world, this was a priceless and valuable experience!  As someone who represents injured bicyclists, and who is always advocating for safer cycling and better/more infrastructure for cycling, I felt like this trip was my first real opportunity to influence the people in our government who make those decisions.  It's one thing to preach to the choir, to rally for things online or on socials, but it's another thing entirely to board a plane and spend a few days meeting with decision-makers.  I truly believe it's on all of us to #dowhatyoucanwithwhatyouhavewhereyouare … and this trip was a wonderful chance for me to do JUST that.  I'm so grateful to PFB for this gratifying experience and hope to join in again soon! 

-Megan Hottman


Back home in Golden, I saw signs around town notifying residents of the Golden Transportation Planning meeting on 6/11/19. So, I made a point to attend - because truly, if we don’t vote, we don’t have a right to complain, and if we don’t show up, we don’t know how or where to voice our opinions.

Sure enough, the meeting was ripe with opportunities to weigh in on specific transportation issues and even to show how we’d vote with our hypothetical budget dollars. I took the opportunity to raise 3 specific issues/asks and to write extensive comments on my comment card.

My post on FB about the event sums up this experience:

In short, these 2 experiences reinforced/reminded me that we cannot sit around and gripe about the state of affairs in bike advocacy and bike safety if we are not willing to put our time, talents, money and energy into these causes. I encourage everyone who rides a bike, to find a way to get involved- from a local nonprofit or cycling organization, to a national organization like People for Bikes, to attending local committee and community meetings, to taking part in a PFB DC Fly-in … showing up is a big part of moving these conversations forward and it takes ALL of us to make a change.

Not just the “they” — it takes each of US.

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.

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!

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.  

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!