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Our gender, our age, our abilities, our race, our bodies and much more—even the types of bikes we ride—contribute to our experiences on one, two, three or four wheels. There’s also a lot we have in common: many people ride for their own health, many for the environment, to save money, to connect with their communities, and some ride because it’s their only option to get around town. Together, these diverse and shared experiences form the kaleidoscope that is the bicycle community.
Through our RIDE initiative—short for Respect, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity—we’re celebrating those different voices, as well as what we all share, to build a more inclusive and equitable movement for all people on bikes. Our RIDE work is supported by our RIDE Advisory Board (read on to find out more) and sponsored by Quality Bicycle Products, or QBP.
Serving all Coloradans is vital to the work we do at Bicycle Colorado because, while we each ride a bike for one reason or another, some of us are at higher risk to the effects of traffic violence, air quality, profiling, monetary constraints and more that can impact access to bikes and our safety while riding.
In Denver, nearly 40 percent of all traffic deaths occur in neighborhoods with lower incomes and high numbers of seniors, people with a disability, schools and community centers. (Denver Vision Zero Action Plan)
Of households earning $35,000 or less per year, fewer than half are getting 150 minutes of physical activity per week, worsening health and increasing the risk of health issues such as cardiovascular disease. (PFB & Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
Vulnerable communities of color are more likely to be exposed to higher levels of dangerous air pollution than white communities. Car dependency exacerbates this, which leads to increased risk of disease and shorter life spans. (EPA)
Women today account for fewer than 25% of the trips taken by bicycle in the United States. In order to get more people of all genders riding bikes, we need to build a community of bicyclists as well as bicycling infrastructure that is safe and accessible for all types of riders. (Fast Company)
We need to make sure that everyone is included and represented in advocacy efforts, marketing, events and more, especially in our work here at Bicycle Colorado. We are all bicyclists no matter how often we ride, our abilities or what we look like, and you should see yourself and others should see you when we think of bicycling. With better representation, more stories and elevated voices of all riders, we can celebrate this diversity and build a more inclusive space for people who want to ride and improve bicycling.
Our focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a newer part of our work at Bicycle Colorado, formally introduced as part of our 2018 Strategic Plan. Our learning and improvement are and will always be a process. To help us, we are collaborating with external organizations and individuals to deepen our understanding of DEI and actively building relationships and trust with new communities and partners. Our team is grateful for opportunities like the examples below that are helping us better meet our commitment to DEI. Since 2018, we’ve:
These experiences and relationships inform and better our work across communications, policy, events and education, as well as our internal culture and procedures.
If you want to help us continue to expand our understanding and DEI work, please reach out to RIDE@bicyclecolorado.org and let us know.
Bicyclists ride for a number of reasons. For some, it’s recreation, for some it’s transportation and many others it’s environmental justice, climate activism, community, fresh air and fun. Take a look at a few photos from our Why I Ride photo series to hear some personal stories.
We want to hear from you. Whether you have been biking for decades or are new to two (or one, or three or four!) wheels, your stories inform the work we do at Bicycle Colorado and help us build a stronger movement. Share yours by emailing RIDE@bicyclecolorado.org and let’s set up a time to talk.
Since 2018, members of our RIDE Advisory Board have gathered bimonthly with Bicycle Colorado to share their experience, expertise and ideas—as well as perspectives we don’t currently have on our staff. They have supported us in building a more inclusive organization and bicycling movement.
RIDE members help us evaluate our practices and programs, grow our understanding of DEI and hold ourselves accountable as we work to be more diverse, equitable and inclusive. With RIDE’s collaboration and through other learning opportunities, we look forward to better representing everyone who rides and improving access to safe, affordable and rewarding options for everyone to bike and be active.
Cindy is the Denver Street Partnership’s Community Liaison and collaborates with community members and small businesses to support neighborhood-focused programs. Cindy’s upbringing in Vietnam led to her passion for being a voice for inclusion and equity in the marginalized Vietnamese community and her bilingual skills are instrumental in establishing trust through one-on-one meetings and small group sessions.
Dawn is a Governing Board Member.
Xavier is a Governing Board Member.
A recipient of the QBP Bike Mechanic Scholarship, Lauren can be found wrenching on bikes all over Northern Colorado. A strong believer in the notion that everyone should have access to free minor repairs, you can find her at a local day shelter, in mobile home communities, and participating in free repair events with the City of Fort Collins. Lauren doesn’t own a car, and while it was a choice at first, owning a vehicle is not a financial possibility for her at this time, so she is also mindful of making sure that she doesn’t glorify a car free existence. Still, Lauren is dedicated to riding a bike as often as possible, everywhere possible, with bikepacking and gravel endurance racing playing a starring role. Lauren is also the manager of a 80-person women’s bike team in Fort Collins, the Fort Follies.
Ann is a community planner and landscape architect. As an avid bicyclist and car-free for over a decade, she is committed to providing safer streets and building awareness in her community through her lifestyle, work and leadership roles. Ann leads public interest-based projects, creates accessible design solutions for open spaces and National Parks and designs smart urban design internationally. With her passion for universal design, she also leads the Equity & Inclusion program at her regional office. Ann understands that bringing equity through design instigates positive change and uplifts marginalized communities when it is deeply rooted in the stories of people and place.
Cory is an executive coach for The Hartford. In addition to her “day job,” Cory is the enterprise co-chair for the Pride organization and a member of The Hartford’s many employee resource groups. She is a member of Bicycle Colorado’s board of directors, and an avid, multi-discipline cyclist. She enjoys being outdoors and active – often hiking and walking around town when not cycling.
Barbara recently relocated from Kansas City, Missouri where she served as a founding board member for the city’s bicycle and walk advocacy organization. Upon arriving in Colorado she immediately became involved in the bicycle community. Barbara has served on several nonprofit boards to include BikeWalkKC, National Alliance for Mental Illness-KC, and the University of Missouri Urban West Extension Council. Barbara believes safe environments for walking, running or biking may actually be a remedy to physical or mental health problems. While she is not car free, she enjoys bicycling tours, trails and charity rides. Bicycling makes her feel a part of the community instead of apart from the community.
Cate Townley is a Senior Built Environment Specialist for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Her primary role at CDPHE is to work with community organizations, local public health agencies, and local governments on policy and environmental change efforts to promote access to safe spaces for physical activity, increase access to shade, and prevent chronic disease for all Coloradans. Cate is an appointed member of Colorado’s Inter-Agency Trails Council, a member of the Urban Land Institute Building Healthy Places Committee and a Planning and Zoning Commissioner for Englewood, Colorado.
Mike is a Product Manager in technology, and he has been cycling in Colorado for the last decade. Initially, this was racing road bikes every weekend and earning his USA Cycling cat 2 license in 2013. However, a nearly fatal bike crash months later flipped his perspective on cycling upside down. Mike sustained a severe traumatic brain injury that put him in an induced coma and required months of rehabilitation at Craig Hospital. It was here where he was introduced to a different aspect of cycling: the plethora of adaptive options for those with physical disabilities. He now spends time as a Peer Mentor, and he helps lead adaptive cycling experiences for patients. He focuses on examining cycling advocacy through the lens of adaptive needs.
We are grateful for QBP’s support to help us continue our RIDE work. For their second year, QBP is the sponsor of our 2020-2021 RIDE Advisory Board and this year will also be sponsoring ongoing DEI stories, events and learning. Learn more about QBP’s commitment to racial justice and actions to advance equity and their Equity and Diversity Internship Program.
In 2018, we released our Strategic Plan, in which we published Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Here is our commitment:
We are dedicated to ensuring that Bicycle Colorado and our movement are diverse, equitable and inclusive. As a statewide organization, it is our responsibility to thoughtfully serve and represent all Coloradans who want to ride bicycles; doing so makes our movement stronger. It is also, simply, the right thing to do.
To meet this commitment, we will deepen our understanding of and prioritize our work in these areas. By building new and existing partnerships and elevating the voices of underrepresented populations, we will identify, understand and remove barriers—starting with those embedded in our own organization—that prevent all people from experiencing the many benefits of bicycling. We will proceed with humility and empathy; seek out and actively listen to all perspectives; examine, question and learn from our assumptions and biases; and encourage our current members and supporters to join us on this journey.
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