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Welcome to Springs and Things, the podcast where two close friends spill the tea on all things Colorado Springs! From culture and community to hidden gems and neighborhood lore, we’ve got it covered. Join us as we sip our coffee (or maybe something stronger) and dive into the stories and secrets that make this city so unique. Whether you're a local or just passing through, our fun, light-hearted, and always entertaining take on the quirks, hot topics, and insider tips will keep you coming back for more. Discover what’s really happening in the Springs—beyond the mountains and parks!
What started as 60 pedal bikes in 2018 has turned into over 300 e bikes changing lives across Colorado Springs. In this episode, we sit down with Tara McCarthy, executive director of PikeRide to talk about how a local bike share program became a powerful tool for connection, mobility, and second chances. From helping a man rebuild his life and reunite with his daughters to giving a 72 year old daily joy rides to the senior center. PikeRide is proving that transportation is more than getting from point a to point b. It's about freedom, dignity, and community.
Carly Ries:Oh, and yes, someone did once try to take a PikeRide all the way to Pueblo. That is a story you don't wanna miss. And before we even got into this incredible interview, Lauren and I totally geeked out about our new skincare regimen. It is very entertaining. So enjoy.
Carly Ries:Hey, everyone. I'm Carly.
Lauren Ferrara:And I'm Lauren.
Carly Ries:We're two Colorado Springs locals who love uncovering everything that makes the city special.
Lauren Ferrara:If you're the kind of person who wants to know where to go, what's happening, and the stories behind it all, then you're in the right place. Welcome to Springs of Things, your insider's path to hidden gems, local flavor, and unexpected moments that make The Springs one of a kind. From secret spots and can't miss events to arts, eats, and those you've gotta hear about at local stories.
Carly Ries:We've got you covered.
Lauren Ferrara:So grab your coffee, settle in, and get ready to fall a little more in love with Colorado Springs.
Carly Ries:Let's dive in to Springs and Things. Lauren, do I like look more confident to
Lauren Ferrara:you right now? Confident and glowy.
Carly Ries:Oh, that was good. You look glowy too. I okay. So we alluded to this in the last episode, I think, because we were super awkward. We're like, oh, can we talk about it?
Carly Ries:Can we not talk about it? We had consultations at Vanguard Aesthetics on Friday. So at the time of this recording, was less than forty eight hours ago. And I just started this new skincare treatment. And I just feel like so when I cut my hair, I call it the magic haircut because it just gives me so much confidence.
Carly Ries:And I feel like this is like the magic skincare.
Lauren Ferrara:I am, as you know, obsessed with all things skincare. You've seen my like box of light therapies and little microcurrents and micro needling. So this was so my jam. And okay, I love My favorite thing in the world is like people who are obsessed with what they do. And Lisa, who runs the med spa is like, I mean, her skin is insane, but she is also so obsessed with helping other people with their skin.
Lauren Ferrara:And it was like the greatest hour of my life.
Carly Ries:She, her name tag even said SPF is my BFF. And I was so awkward because I was like, I want to touch her face. Just like I know.
Lauren Ferrara:It's like, yeah, it was like, yeah, I wanted to touch it too.
Carly Ries:It was like porcelain. But it was funny, because we went and had our consultations together. And I was joking that you get the MVP award, and I'm just gonna strive for the most improved player.
Lauren Ferrara:I don't know your pores were pretty darn tiny.
Carly Ries:But okay, truth be told, I'm not great with skincare. I wash my face. Some mornings I wake up and there's still spirit mascara on my face. I've tried I have like this text chain with some friends of mine and I and we talk about all these products to try and I dabble in them. I'm just very inconsistent.
Carly Ries:And I need a consistent routine. And I'm in my thirties, I feel like I should have this down now and I just don't. So I'm like genuinely I'm the JV squad that is super giddy to be on varsity.
Lauren Ferrara:I I guess so I've been into this for a long time. And I was really proud of myself because I am I mean, ever since I was a little kid, like, sunscreen every day. So, yeah, I had like not a whole lot of sun damage. I'm 40 how old am I? 42.
Lauren Ferrara:And she said I was like in the ninety first percentile on sun damage. So I wanted to pat myself on the back.
Carly Ries:And can I just say Lauren went first? So I was like, oh my, yeah, like she's getting glowing reviews. Not on my pores though. I have pretty giant pores from my age apparently. But I was so nervous.
Carly Ries:And I even told her, for whatever reason, my defense mechanism when I'm nervous is to be really funny. Like I really should somebody should give me a microphone if I'm nervous because I'm like, let's get my Netflix special going. And so I thought it was gonna be cracking jokes the whole time. She put me at ease immediately. I was just a normal human being.
Carly Ries:I wasn't funny at all because I was so she made me feel so comfortable. She knew I was hesitant about Botox and that that is not my jam right now.
Lauren Ferrara:I'm still committed to wearing you down.
Carly Ries:I know. But that as of now, that is not my thing. And she listened.
Lauren Ferrara:But I loved that about her. Yeah. She was like, oh, yes. That's yeah. Like, no pressure on anything.
Lauren Ferrara:It was really cool.
Carly Ries:She listened to my needs. She she was like, let's focus on making your skin healthy as opposed to even just like an aesthetic thing. She was just so awesome, Lisa. If you're listening to this, we just wanna be best friends with you because that was just such a lovely hour and
Lauren Ferrara:a half. But SPF is her BFF, so you're gonna have to settle for second place, Carly. But it was such so we're super excited to partner with Vanguard Aesthetics, and we're gonna take you on our kind of skincare journey across these next many, many episodes.
Carly Ries:Yep. It'll be great. And now that I have this new skincare going on, feel and a new SPF is my BFF motto. It will serve me well as I am out and about. And you guys, I have just seen PikeRide everywhere, which is the meat and potatoes of this episode, the best interview with Tara McCarthy from PikeRide, and I'm genuinely blown away by this organization.
Carly Ries:There is so much more than meets the eye, and the interview speaks for itself. So let's just get right to it. So Tara, we were talking offline. I just feel like you guys have exploded. I see you everywhere.
Carly Ries:Do you feel like that or is that just No, yeah. My
Tara McCarthy:Yeah, I think so. PikeRide started in 2018 and we started with probably 60 bikes and they were pedal bikes. And in 2020, we actually switched from pedal bikes to e bikes just because our altitude, our terrain, it just made a little bit more sense for us and for our community and for visitors to have e bikes. And since that 60 or so bikes that we started with, we have over 300 bikes now. And we serve Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs.
Tara McCarthy:So I think you're right, we have exploded. You have.
Carly Ries:Well, people, like I said, people see the company and they know that it provides bikes for people. But there's so much more to your organization. Can you explain the why? What inspired its creation? You just said your mission statement changed.
Carly Ries:Give us the good.
Tara McCarthy:Sure. So 2018, we were started out of downtown partnership, downtown ventures. Our founders felt that a city our size should have bike share as an amenity for our visitors. Right? It makes sense, right?
Tara McCarthy:You go to Paris, which is obviously larger than us, but you go to a lot of major cities around the world and there's micro mobility. There's bike share for people to get out of their cars, hit different small businesses, get to attractions without having to deal with, how do I get there? You get to explore more of your environment on a bike. So that's really why we started. But throughout the years we have found that our bikes are actually a really powerful life transforming tool for people that don't have transportation.
Tara McCarthy:For people who might work a third shift where our bus system might not meet their needs. And so now we're still in that tourist space. Over 30% of our annual users are visitors, but we very much meet the needs of people who live here locally, are residents. And that could be someone who wants to go for a joy ride with their friends, but also for someone who can't afford a car, excuse me, or can't afford to fix a car that broke down. And it is really enabling them to have a normal life as if they did have a car.
Carly Ries:Yeah, absolutely. Well, so how do you balance the transportation side of things with the community connector side of things?
Tara McCarthy:Yeah, that's a really good question. I think transportation inherently is a social connector, right? Like you get in your car to go visit friends and family. You get in your car to maybe take programming at the library, right? Like we have a great library system here.
Tara McCarthy:But we've found that there are some neighborhoods that are in isolation. And when we put bikes there, it enables people to connect, whether it is through programming at the library. We have one 72 year old that goes to the senior center every single day on our bikes. I know it's so cute. But it really does enable people in these days to not be socially isolated.
Tara McCarthy:And we specifically make sure that we have stations and public parking available for people in places where people need to get to or want to get to. And that includes some of those social community centers. Yes. I just, I love your organization so much. Giving it
Carly Ries:a big warm hug. Okay, Tara, you have the floor right now. Yeah. What is a common misconception that people have about PikeRide that you want
Tara McCarthy:to clear the air with right now? Yeah. Okay. So it's funny because a lot of times when I'm talking to people, people don't realize PikeRide is a local nonprofit. They often think that our bikes are associated with a scooter program, which is a global for profit company.
Tara McCarthy:We are very separate. We have local employees. We meet the needs of our community through feedback from our community. We are very much part of city priorities. We are here for our community and our decisions on a daily basis are for the well-being and benefit of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs.
Carly Ries:I think that's very helpful because I do think people kind of associate the two together, like you said. And and I I was gonna ask you this a little bit later on. But in terms of kind of being associated with that, I wanted the behind the scenes stuff. What do you do when people leave bikes everywhere? Because you see the scooters laying around everywhere, again, not affiliated in any way, shape or form.
Carly Ries:How do you guys work behind the scenes and getting bikes back to where they need to be?
Tara McCarthy:Yes, it's a very good question. Our services are very hands on. So we have staff three sixty five days a year unless we have like one of those 14 below degree days where most people are not riding a bike in the winter. But we on a daily basis are checking every single N trip photo that riders take to ensure one, the bikes are not impeding pedestrian access. They are not sitting in a handicapped parking space blocking parking for folks who need a little bit more access or tied up on someone's personal property.
Tara McCarthy:So our staff is and feels very responsible for services that we're providing around town and take really quite a bit of pride on the fact that we don't get complaints that our bikes are left somewhere that they shouldn't be left and that our services really productive for our community rather than a possible hindrance. So speaking of around town, how do
Carly Ries:you decide where stations go and where they're like the yeah, yeah,
Tara McCarthy:it's a really good question. So right now we have 98 stations and a lot of those stations are placed near businesses. So that way we can increase foot traffic to small businesses. We place them at attractions for instance the USOP Museum or we have a couple of stations just outside of Garden Of The Gods so people can take a ride through Garden Of The Gods. And then we also look at some of the necessities.
Tara McCarthy:So we have stations at grocery stores, we have stations at our community centers, we have stations at our libraries, we have stations near doctors' offices. And so we really kind of want to combine that tourist fun aspect with the need that people have to get around on our bikes. So have you had any, you can't make this up stories?
Carly Ries:I mean, can you just give me, mean, I'll ask you for one, but if you want share So more, go for
Tara McCarthy:maybe I'll share two. This first one is from before my time here, but somebody a little late at night and probably after having imbibed with some alcohol tried to get down to Pueblo on I-twenty 5 on a hike ride. What? So unfortunately the person ended up like tipping over crashing along I-twenty 5 and a lake was okay. They were okay.
Tara McCarthy:A fire department picked them up and brought them to where they needed to go but they also picked up a pike ride. So it's an interesting story because yes, you don't ride a pike ride if you are so inebriated that you think getting on I-twenty 5 is a good idea. But like the person needed transportation. You know what I mean? Like it's kind of a And they thought of you.
Tara McCarthy:They were probably like, Oh, this is going to be a really fun ride down home. And then the second story is we have a really strong partnership with Colorado College. And the students at Colorado College do a monthly cruise ride during a full moon to kind of celebrate the full moon. And they usually ride bikes down to America The Beautiful and Howl at the Moon. They have a dance party.
Tara McCarthy:It's just like this joyful evening.
Carly Ries:It's college doesn't it? I mean let's go back in time. And
Tara McCarthy:so since the students have access to PikeRide a lot of the cruise rides there can be 40 to 60 pike rides that get gathered up and then the students ride them down to America The Beautiful and then back up after they have their celebratory dance in Howell. But again, what a cool thing that
Carly Ries:you guys are the ones that they think of.
Tara McCarthy:Yeah, who doesn't enjoy riding a bike with a group of their friends, right? And just kind of exploring and enjoying our environment. Like, yeah, it brings a smile to my face thinking about that many kids kind of rolling downtown and having
Carly Ries:just being on a bike and getting in a car. And oh, I love that. So good. So I'm riding down I-twenty 5 aside and PSA, don't ever ride on an interstate on your bike, on any bike. Nope.
Carly Ries:And college students, what do you think if the PikeRide Bikes could talk, what do
Tara McCarthy:you think they'd say about the average cyclist in town? Oh, that's such an it's a good question because I think one of the most interesting things about PikeRide, this is something that I personally really like, is that the bike that I ride this afternoon is a bike that you can ride tonight. And our stories are so different, but the One Bikes connected us and our experience in our community. And these bikes on average get ridden thousands of times a year. And each of their stories are so, so different.
Tara McCarthy:But again, the bike is just connecting us all to our community. I don't know, Tara, sounds like the next movie for the Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival. Don't you think that that would be such a cool concept?
Carly Ries:Yeah. Following the bikes.
Tara McCarthy:We've talked about like a day in the life of a bike ride. And it's like, well, where does it go and who's riding it? And what's the experience that they had? And we actually kind of took that and we started a name of bike campaign to personalize and personify the bikes. And so donors have actually submitted names.
Tara McCarthy:And so there's probably about 50 bikes that have maybe a name after somebody who's done something that someone felt gratitude for. For instance there's one bike out there that has the name of somebody who donated a bike to a family in need and that family donated their name to be on that bike. And so our bikes just have all of these stories that people don't really recognize because it's just a piece of equipment but it really has an impact on people's lives. Yeah, well going off of
Carly Ries:that theme let's talk about Colorado Gives Day on December 9. Tell me your involvement, what you guys have planned for this year.
Tara McCarthy:Yeah. So this will really be our second year fundraising through Colorado Gives, which starts November 1 and ends on Colorado Gives Day which is Tuesday December 9. And without revealing too much we have been awarded a substantial grant that's going to really allow us to expand services to make things more accessible for our community and we're going to be fundraising against the match that we have with that grant and our grants are typically reimbursable which means PikeRide has to spend our money to receive their money in reimbursement and so we're really going to be fundraising against this again, substantial grant that's just going to be able to allow us to impact more residents' lives and improve more people's lives. And we'll give more information out to everybody. I don't want to break the news right now, but we're really trying to make sure that everybody can access opportunities like anyone can with a car.
Tara McCarthy:Like we are trying to equalize people's ability to get to resources and opportunities.
Carly Ries:Well, so speaking of community involvement, do you have a community impact story that kind of sticks with you and reminds you like, Oh my gosh, what we're doing is so valuable?
Tara McCarthy:Oh gosh, there's so many, but oh, there are I have a couple of favorites. Last year, we worked with an individual who is living in the creek in a tent and a small business took a chance on this person and gave them a part time job and they had heard about one of our affordability programs and actually purchased an annual membership for them. This person took that part time job. They still get to this job with our bike. They were also able to connect to a second part time job and moved into their own apartment and are still living in their own apartment.
Tara McCarthy:And I just saw them a couple months ago but they're thriving and they were able to move out of a situation that a lot of people have trouble moving out of. And I just I think about them because asking for help or trying something different can be really scary but they were able to do it and they're still thriving. And so that's one of those that you might hear it, but like my eyes are tearing just because that's how powerful our services are for people. And again, you might see a bike on the corner and have no idea what that bike literally did for somebody today.
Carly Ries:Gosh, that is incredible. Were there any other stories you wanted to share on that?
Tara McCarthy:Yes. That's big So we also provided services to an individual who moved back to Colorado Springs because his daughters were here and he was living in a sober home and he was having trouble being on time for work And he actually saw a Colorado College student riding to class on a pike ride and literally like hollered after her and was like, What is that? And she stopped and talked to him and he applied for one of our affordability programs. And he got on a leased bike with us and he made it to work on time every day after and was able to take a part time job and move into a full time shift lead position which enabled him to move from transitional housing into his own apartment and in his words kept him hopeful and optimistic and working towards gaining custody of his two daughters. And the biggest thing for him was that the bike allowed him to go see one of his daughter's volleyball games.
Tara McCarthy:And so when you asked me a question about social connection before, again, it's so much more than maybe getting to the grocery store, but it might be able to connect you to a child or a grandparent and something that you might not have been able to do before.
Carly Ries:Tara, I regret wearing enough mascara to this interview. That was not a smart move on my part. I'm doing everything I can to wipe the tears. Okay, Tara. So I get one on one time with you right now.
Carly Ries:So I had to pick your brain. If you had a personal tour de pike ride, what route? What would your route look like? What kind of stops would there be food stops, coffee stops, entertainment? Tell me everything.
Tara McCarthy:Oh, gosh. Okay, this one, I feel like I should take you on two tour de pike rides. So the first one is really starting anywhere from downtown and hopping on a portion of the Legacy Loop and that would include Shooks Run which is kind of my local urban trail that I use And I of course we would have to go to Stellina's Pizza Cafe. It is so good, so tasty. It is right off the trail.
Tara McCarthy:There's a bike lane up Willamette to it. That's one of my favorite places. And then I would also have to go to Mash Mechanics, one of my favorite breweries, also bike lane, bike parking, all the amenities. And so I think kind of just sticking close to the Legacy Loop is a great one. Oh, maybe I'll add a third place Fine Arts Center going to see the That is always a great stop off the Legacy Loop.
Tara McCarthy:And then the third one, excuse me, the second ride is really going from either Colorado Springs Springs to Colorado Springs. We have some really great roads that are calm, little bit lower of traffic, and you also get to kind of like peruse people's houses in just like a, Oh, I would love to know what their backyard looks like.
Carly Ries:You know what I mean? It's so bad other people think that way.
Tara McCarthy:Yeah and then you just get to experience the two different communities that we have here and enjoy different restaurants and shops along the way.
Carly Ries:Love those and I had not figured out what I was making for dinner tonight and I think Stelina's takeout might know be what we're getting. Is there anything else you would want our listeners to know before we sign off today?
Tara McCarthy:Yes. Every ride that you take with PikeRide stays in our community and helps support someone else take a ride where they might not be able to pay for that ride. So by riding PikeRide you're contributing to a healthier, more connected, accessible community.
Carly Ries:This has been wonderful. Thank you so much for welcoming me to your office today. This is such a great space. I love what you're doing. The town loves what you're doing.
Carly Ries:So just keep up the great work. Thank you so much. Lauren, I tell you the number of times I get teary eyed in our interviews blows my mind and it has really started to add up, but they are just such a wonderful organization. Again, guys be sure to check out PikeRide at pikeride.org to see everything that they're up to. But like I said, they have so much going on.
Carly Ries:So just be sure to check out everything that they're doing at pikeride.org. And before we get into our picks of the week, let's hear quicker from our sponsors. Modern Interior Company is a full service interior design firm based here in Colorado Springs that specializes in creating beautiful elevated homes without all the stress. Known for delivering seamless, high touch design experiences from concept to completion, They help busy professionals and high end homeowners create spaces that reflect their lifestyle and feel effortless. Be sure to check them out at moderninterior.co.
Carly Ries:Again, that's moderninterior.co, and that is also in the show notes. And you guys, we just wanna take a second to thank our other sponsor, CORE Collective. They have been here with us since the beginning. They are our favorite reformer Pilates studio here in town. They really are just a part of our lives now.
Carly Ries:They're a part of our routine. We miss when we're not in the studio. If you are looking to feel stronger, more confident, and really find that community, look no further than Core Collective. All of the instructors are wonderful and their classes are truly highlights of our week. And if you type in the code SPREES and Things, all caps, no spaces at checkout, you could receive three classes for just thirty bucks.
Carly Ries:That is $10 a class. That is unreal. You can find that at corecollectivecos.com. And again, the code is sprays and things, all caps, no spaces. Type
Tara McCarthy:it
Carly Ries:in at checkout for that amazing deal. They are incredible. Lauren, aside from concerts, what is one thing that we get so sad about when summer ends? Oh, farmers markets.
Lauren Ferrara:Leaving. Yeah.
Carly Ries:Well, good old Ivywild is saving the day yet again, and they are starting Sunday Funday, an indoors farm an indoor farmers market that is happening every Sunday at Ivy World from twelve to five. They're featuring some of the best local vendors in The Springs, plus NFL Sunday ticket will be playing. So they'll be doing a giveaway. The person who brings the most friends to the market wins a special prize. So just grab your crew, go hang out, but they are bringing farmers markets to the winter in Colorado Springs in a way that only Ivy Wild can.
Lauren Ferrara:So, Carly, do you notice anything different about me? Maybe improved other than the skin that we talked about already.
Carly Ries:Seriously, we were just talking about the I'm cheating because I know what you're gonna say, but it is awesome looking.
Lauren Ferrara:Thank you. So my pick of the week is JC Beauty Bar. Several years ago, I got, and I was so scared, but I got permanent makeup. I got my brows done. And I'm obsessed with them.
Lauren Ferrara:I like was super nervous that it would look overdone. And so I told her I want it really, really subtle. I don't want people to think like, oh, look, she just got her brows done. So I have microbladed brows and I just did my retouch. So I started five years ago and every year I go for my annual.
Lauren Ferrara:And Jen Chapman is fantastic. She's way out in Peyton, so it takes like an hour to get there from my house. But it is so, so worth it. And then you don't have to deal with it for another year. So I'll post a little pic on the story.
Lauren Ferrara:But one time I had a makeup artist like doing my makeup and she was like, oh my god, I'm only like as she was looking at my brows, she was like, I'm only realizing now that your brows are like done. So love her and I'll be back next year.
Carly Ries:I don't know how many times we've hung out in the past year and beyond, and I literally found out when we're getting our skincare or just before, maybe a few days before we're getting our skincare consultations. It looks so natural. Yay. That's what I was going for. Well, listeners, thank you so much for tuning in.
Carly Ries:We love the support. We can't believe we are now in year two of the podcast. We're so excited for everything to come. As always, share this episode with a friend, leave that five star review, and subscribe on Apple or Spotify, and we will see you next week on Springs and Things.