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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!
This week, I got to hang out with three people who are changing how Colorado Springs gets around. Tara McCarthy of Pike Ride, Tori Giffin from the Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort, and city transportation planner, Carrie Childress. We get into the big question. Are we a bike town or a car town? We talk magical midnight rides, why bike lanes are worth it even if you'll never ride one, the ebike boom, and Pike Rides new $35 a month bikes rolling into Southeast Colorado Springs.
Carly Ries:Oh, and bike to work day is June 24, and there will be bacon. Just saying. But before we kick things off, this episode is brought to you by the Pikes Peak Library District. Their summer adventure program is underway. Be sure to sign up.
Carly Ries:This And episode is also brought to you by Vanguard Aesthetics. It is hot out. Don't forget that sunscreen. Alright. That's all I got.
Carly Ries:Let's roll. 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
Tara Tara McCarthy:the stories behind it all, then you're in
Lauren Ferrara:the right place. Welcome to Springs and Things, your insider's path to hidden gems, local flavor, and unexpected moments that make The Springs one of a kind.
Carly Ries:From secret spots and campus events
Lauren Ferrara: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. I cannot believe I'm sitting in a room with the three of you. I feel like I was invited to a VIP dinner, and I was, like, the odd man out. And somehow I made it on the invite list.
Torie Giffin:You're in a cool club now.
Carly Ries:I'm in a cool club, so thank you for letting me crash the pool, like, cycling COS party. I really appreciate it. Okay. So I have the three of you here. So I have a lot of pressing questions that I have.
Carly Ries:I actually had a list of 35 questions I wanna ask you. I wouldn't go down because I was just like, you know, nobody wants to do that. So you guys can pick once again for this first one or how you wanna tag team it. But can you tell me about a ride here at the Pigs Peak region that made you fall in love with cycling or reminded you why you do this work?
Torie Giffin:Hands down, this is Tori with the Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort. And hands down for me, it was the Starlight Spectacular. It was the midnight ride through Garden Of The Gods and through down down Garden Of Gods Road, through down Colorado Springs, and then down through old Colorado City. And it was just magical. Like, I raised my kids on bikes and that was one of our big family rides with Maria and they just love being out after dark.
Torie Giffin:But, the city after dark is just, it's really special and, it's just as beautiful. And so I really missed that ride, but we did that for several years. It's a big fundraiser, Trails and Open Space Coalition. I wish they still did. It's gonna be come back as a walk around this year.
Torie Giffin:I I think that the bike ride became a lot to manage for with all the police controls that you need for a night ride. But every day, they'd
Tara Tara McCarthy:have a different fun theme and we'd wear costumes and it was just it was the best. Mine is a little more utilitarian than magical. Magical. But when I was when I first moved here, just getting on the trails and being able to bike the entire length of the city was incredible and and pop off and get some groceries if I wanted, and that just felt pretty empowering to be able to do
Carly Ries:it all on bike. Well, listeners, if you feel inspired right now, feel free to press pause on this interview. Go get on your bike, go for a ride, and then listen to the rest of this interview because that's basically what I wanna do right now. But in terms of the ease of getting on a bike, I do have question for you that's not as magical as this last question. But Colorado Springs has a reputation as an outdoor town, obviously, but it also has a very tar centric one.
Carly Ries:You think of getting out to Powers. You think of getting all the little areas of town. Which reputation do you think is more deserved right now? Do you think it's changing?
Tara Tara McCarthy:You know, I think we may be car centric, but we are certainly an outdoor city. I think we are one of the rarest cities in the country where you have an urban downtown and you have a 14,000 foot mountain in the backdrop. I think people that are here are outdoor minded. I think the visitors that come to our region are outdoor minded. And yes, you need to drive a car to get around, you need to drive a car to get to a trail system, but our outdoor amenities are are outstanding.
Tara Tara McCarthy:And I think our community continues to value those and continues to develop them so that our outdoor scene can continue to thrive and grow. Well put. And I I was gonna use for both. I think city is unique that we're so sprawled. And so we do need cars in some ways to get from one end of the city to the other.
Tara Tara McCarthy:But or even to drive. And and definitely with the topography, like, not everyone can bike up the canyon all the way, but they can drive up to the canyon and get out of their bike and bike there. Yeah. Would say both.
Torie Giffin:Well, I have felt that around our trails and our creeks are wonderful and super accessible if you're in the central and west part of the city. I think there is a need to get out farther east and and be able to open it some more successfully that way. But to me, when you're down to to all the places you want, north, you know, east, southwest, just, you know, I'd love to see it grow and to have something that ran along powers or could get you to the airport, you know, really great. It would be a bike more bike centric. But I believe that we're actually one of the top bicycle destinations in the world when it comes to how much we have and how much variety.
Carly Ries:That's saying something. Well, speaking speaking of the city itself and like the drivers that get frustrated, Carrie, I'm putting you in the hot seat. You're gonna be you're our gal for the next few questions. So get ready. Okay.
Carly Ries:Again, playing devil's advocate here. If a listener is stuck in traffic on Powers and they sees they see a new bike lane and think, why is the city spending my tax dollars on something I'll never use? What is your honest answer to that question? Good question.
Tara Tara McCarthy:So first of all, I don't want the bike lane on Powers. I want the trail alongside Powers.
Carly Ries:Stairs. Good call. Thank you for the clarification.
Tara Tara McCarthy:But for bike lanes in general, every person that we get on a bike is one less car. Every less car is less congestion. It's better air quality. So everyone is impacted, drivers and cyclists, like, by getting more facilities and more bikers out there.
Carly Ries:But we're also talking earlier about the terrain of our city, and it is no joke. There's hills, there's difference, have sprawl, everything. How do you plan a bike camp work for a city that wasn't built compactly like, let's say, Boulder?
Tara Tara McCarthy:Yeah. It's definitely challenging. And I mean, I think we're doing it piece by piece. And so there's not always all of the connectivity. But right now, we have a project that is looking at the bike level of comfort on every street facility in the city.
Tara Tara McCarthy:And we're gonna use that to overlay over our trails and bike lane networks so that we can really prescriptively plan where we're going to provide those connectivity. Well, so where do you
Carly Ries:think the biggest gaps are in the network right here, right now? Like, if you had a blank check for one connection, where would that check go? I know. I know.
Tara Tara McCarthy:Was thinking about that in advance, and a lot of things came to mind, and a couple of them we have funds for, a couple of them we've talked about a lot. So I think if I had to check for one, I would pick Tech Center Drive because it connects to Ute Valley Road. And, I mean, there are a lot of connections that are really important that we would like to do right now. But that one is we're going to basically have to build a wall because there there is the terrain right there, and it's really tight. The roadways base is really tight.
Tara Tara McCarthy:And so in order to fit it, it's going to be you know, it's not just a small little, like, paint bike lanes. It's it's building a wall to hold back the land. So that's gonna be that's gonna be a big dollar 1.
Carly Ries:Yeah. Oh my gosh. Your job. I would be it'd be so interesting to follow you around for a day. So how do you think cycling, transit, and walking fit together in the city's long range plans?
Carly Ries:Not even necessarily what you think. Like, you you of all people would know. Is it is the goal really few or car trips? Or what is what does success in ten years look like?
Tara Tara McCarthy:I think success looks like providing providing for everybody, for whatever they wanna use that day or what they need to use or that they are limited to use. But being able to have someone leave their house and either walk or bike to transit if they need to. I mean, I'm a realist. I don't think that we're gonna get everybody who's driving to start biking or even a large majority, But I do wanna provide it for everybody and make sure that we have safe connections, and that's really our office is very focused. We have three engineers that are just super dedicated to safe, active facilities no matter what mode you're using.
Carly Ries:Well, on behalf of a big cycling family, thank you. Genuinely, genuinely thank you for everything you do for this study because I think you're kind of one of those unsung heroes that people don't realize. It's like they don't realize how much is going on behind the scenes and that just happens and you are what's going on behind the scenes. So thank you.
Torie Giffin:Thank
Carly Ries:you. And I'm gonna take you off the hot seat. Okay. So before we put Tori on the hot seat, let's talk about some of our awesome sponsors. So Pikes Peak Library District is one of our sponsors and honestly, their summer adventure program is kind of perfect right now.
Carly Ries:You know how summer just turns into one big blur of nothing some days where you're like, oh my gosh, where did the day go? There's no structure. Well, the daily reading challenge or activity challenge, whatever you choose to do on any given day, gives the days a little bit more shape and not a boring way, just enough so that it's not total chaos at your house twenty four seven. It provides some structure to these busy summer days. And they have so much stuff going on this week.
Carly Ries:First up, they have the summer fun drum safari, which is happening at a ton of locations. It bay it's basically a musical trip around the world where the kids learn about animals from everywhere, all set to a beat, they're singing, dancing, and yes, actual drumming, and it's for little ones up through age 12. But if you have older kids, there's this upcycled t shirt tote bag thing for ages nine to 15 where they can take an old t shirt and turn it into a custom tote, no sewing, thank goodness, and pick up a little lesson on sustainability while they're at it. You do have to register in advance for that one, but that's coming up this week. And then they also have something for us adults because again, the summer adventure program is for all ages.
Carly Ries:There's a tea blending workshop that's actually happening happening early next week, but before the next episode, so I thought I'd throw it in, where you get to play around with different tea leaves and ingredients and make your own custom blend to take home. And that's for 18 and up. You'll wanna sign up ahead of time for that one too, but there's just so much going on. This is just the coolest program. Track what you're doing.
Carly Ries:Download Beanstack or track it manually. You can find all the details to still sign up at ppld.org/summer. Okay. And we really wanna give a shout out to Core Collective. They have been with us since the beginning.
Carly Ries:So if you've never tried Pilates or you want to get better at it, consider this your sign to dive in. It's a woman owned reformer studio right in downtown Colorado Springs, and the vibe is so welcoming, zero intimidating gym energy. If you're a total newbie, that doesn't matter. There are instructors meet you exactly where you are. And whether you want a group class or a private session with friends, it just has it just has such a vibe.
Carly Ries:It's just so wonderful. And if you use the code springs and things, all caps, no spaces at checkout, you get three classes for just $30. That's $10 a class. That is unheard of. So go to CORE Collective's website.
Carly Ries:Their link is in our show notes. You guys, Vanguard Aesthetics is another one of our sponsors. I have habitually been wearing my hat outside. I've been taking care of my skin, and it's all because of the tips and education that I have received from my visits at Vanguard. I'm actually supposed to go in for another Visia appointment in the next few weeks, which kinda just shows a a comparison of how my skin has been doing since I started this whole process in November.
Carly Ries:I've had a few check ins and it just it's so comforting there. I love seeing the progress. I love seeing my skin transform. And and it's summer. So, yeah, I already mentioned it in this episode, but don't forget that sunscreen.
Carly Ries:It is so important, but if you really wanna focus on your skincare routine, in these summer months, go to Vanguard Aesthetics. Their link is in our show notes. They are awesome. I am a total newbie with all of this and I feel so comfortable and I have seen so much progress. So be sure to check it out.
Carly Ries:Tori, duh duh duh. I mean, I don't know why I keep saying that doing that sound in this interview.
Torie Giffin:Usually, that's what that's what my team thinks when I start walking their way that I'm gonna tornado them with, like, a million ideas. And it's like, done, done, done. What's the next thing she wants to do?
Carly Ries:I'll plug in something exciting. We'll add some exciting sound for when we do this transition in the final cut. Okay. I have some questions for you. So bike tourism is a real industry place.
Carly Ries:Do think Moab, Fruta, I mean, Collins even? Is Colorado Springs money on the table, do you think? Or what would it take for us to be a destination rather than a drive thru for cycling or probably a destination for recycling now?
Torie Giffin:That's so funny because it's and my passion this year, I'm now on the I'm on the board of I've been on the board for a while of the Pikes Peak Lodging Association. And this year, I joined the board of Visit Colorado Springs. And as I was sitting in the meetings and listening to the marketing, you know, a lot of even though we have this new destination master plan, a lot of it, you know, focuses around Olympic City USA. The same outdoor things that, you know, we've always been promoting the attractions and the sites and I just like a 100%, we are leading the table and that leaning into the cycle tourism could revolutionize Colorado Springs like the other communities that it has from Bentonville and Fruta. My friend Nick Pondrew on Criterion bike shops, I thought said it best like, know, put on town, like like Fruta, so many people, you know, could bring in, you know, generate millions of dollars each year in cyclotourism.
Torie Giffin:I mean, their home prices have gone up, you know, they're, you know, just the type of people that they're attracting to the community, the professional level. People wanna live in a full bikable community. I don't think we have to do a thing other than do a better job marketing ourselves. I think we've already bought it. We just need to lean into it.
Torie Giffin:So I've gotten a chance to have a one on one luncheon with the mayor to talk about Colorado Springs as a top bicycle destination and have gotten to meet with the marketing folks from VisitCOS and they're listening and they're really starting to pay attention. And, I mean, we just broke with the mayor of Manitou Springs for bike to work day today. They're guided and and I'm pretty sure it's and I know that our mayor gets teary eyed even just talking about what, you know, his kids and being on bikes with them in this community has meant. So I think you're gonna see more from us and more marketing that leans in to the ice field destination.
Carly Ries:So you just named out the mayor twice. I told you I was at the VIP dinner party. Yeah. Okay. But I actually have a question that you I feel like you're uniquely qualified to answer based off what you said earlier.
Carly Ries:You said that joining the cycling club when you first got here was just such a great way to meet people, explore the city. But cycling itself can feel like a club. Like, you feel like you have to have the bibs and you have to look the part. And even said when you walked in, you forgot to turn off your Strava. Is that what you said?
Torie Giffin:I I still had to turn off my Strava
Tara Tara McCarthy:from my dog.
Carly Ries:Gosh. What if I don't even have Strava? How would you make cycling culture feel welcoming to someone who just wants to pedal to the coffee shop?
Torie Giffin:Well, I think the fun thing that I get to offer at the Bajo Lodge Bicycle Resort is that it's it's like a dude ranch for cyclists. You know, like, it's like if you go to a dude ranch, you don't have to be a cowboy. You're just gonna get the cowboy experience. And if you come to our place, you don't have to be a cyclist, you're gonna get that cycling experience. And so I think that things like just having bikes around for guests to use and to try out, we have a variety of bikes that we keep out that are fun and interesting from the different bikes to tandem bicycles.
Torie Giffin:You know, we have the latest pike ride station now which I think is gonna just explode for our customers. I think it's gonna be amazing to just be able to pick up a pike ride and go ride through the garden right from the Buffalo Lodge. And so the accessibility of bikes and how easy is it to get a bike and how easy can I find a trail from here? So I think our way finding stuff is gonna be very important. But the neat thing about this community is a lot of bike parks.
Torie Giffin:Super cool are the rides like the kids on bikes puts on like the Pop Cycle ride where all these families come out and they ride around Monument Valley and creek and they go to the Pop Cycle Bridge which was named that because that's where Alan Boeschamp and our little friendly groups at the Colorado Springs Cycle Club would stop and turn around after having a popsicle at the bridge. And then the Wednesday ride has just blown up and that's out of goat patch crew eight. Know, you'll find helmets, you'll find no helmets, you'll find a lot of jorts, I think, you know, and very little spandex. And so I feel like in our community, you know, and then in addition to all the I mean, there's just this is a mountain biking mecca. I mean, even though we have all these great little road rides and community rides, this is really a paradise for the mountain bikers.
Torie Giffin:With the trailblazers, they take out groups from beginners to advanced. So you can go out every Wednesday with the trailblazers through Red Rock Canyon Open Space or out in Monument. There's just so many great groups that you can connect and ride. And that's what I like about our place is that you can come and ride with the locals and just get that local experience. And my favorite thing is like, you know, like somebody comes back from a ride and they're telling a guest where they just went and rode.
Torie Giffin:And next thing you like, oh, you know, why don't you come out with us tomorrow? And we get a chance to, like, talk trails and go out and ride with locals and connect. And I think our city is very warm and welcoming no matter what group you go to.
Carly Ries:Okay. So then to kinda piggyback off of that question, your business, obviously, it it's synonymous with cycling. Like, you fit it in very well because it's Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort. What does it look like when a business genuinely integrates cycling beyond putting out, like a rack out front?
Torie Giffin:I mean, I think it can transform your business. I don't I think there was very little that they could do with our iconic historic property that would have brought that property back in in such a dynamic way to become part of a community. I mean, cycling really is all about community. Really having the whole bicycle culture will bring a healthier clientele to your business. Just leaning into the bicycle friendliness.
Torie Giffin:You don't have to do a lot. I mean, your whole place doesn't have to be decorated or anything like that. But I think just by people telling their stories just by being bicycle friendly. Where do I go store my bike? Is there safe bike storage?
Torie Giffin:You know, just being able to you wanna see your bike. I mean, that's that's probably people's biggest thing. You don't wanna have a bike rack around a corner. But if just people put on their website at Colorado Springs is a great place to bike. If you're coming, ride your bike.
Torie Giffin:A lot of the places downtown don't have a lot of parking. I mean, go park somewhere else and pick up a bike ride and go explore downtown. It would be a much better way than buy a car, you know? So they just need to do a good job just saying it on their website. Our city resources with the Parks and Rec and with Visit Colorado Springs, you can go to either one of those websites and find maps of where you can go and ride plus with things like ride with GPS or like mountain bike project.
Torie Giffin:You can just go in and load up routes and go ride. So, yeah, I think it would help a lot of businesses to be able to bring in more revenue by leaning into the bicycle tourism.
Carly Ries:Okay. So we talk about accessibility a lot. And you just mentioned Pike Ride. Tara, I would have so many questions for you. I only have a few because I can link to our previous episode, which went into everything, which I just love so much.
Carly Ries:So listeners, we do have another Pike Ride episode that was fascinating. So I'll link to that in the show notes. But for today, Pike Ride just hit an interesting moment. Expanded Southeast. New bikes are coming into the fleet.
Carly Ries:Can you catch us up with what has changed since our last interview?
Tara Tara McCarthy:Yeah. So as mentioned, we are planning an extension into Southeast Colorado Springs. It's an area of our community that has some lack of transportation and a lot of the residents from Southeast have actually, over the years, requested that we expand our system into their community. We are we received a state grant to be able to do that work. We have 20 bikes in the back in our warehouse that are geared towards Southeast, and so we expect to have our first station opened up within the next couple of weeks.
Tara Tara McCarthy:That is gonna be hugely transforming for a lot of people in that community, not only for transportation needs, but just recreation needs. I mean, you can borrow a bike if you can't afford one and go for a ride with your family. You can visit the new parks, the great parks that have been popping up in the Southeast. So that's gonna be we're really, really excited about that. In addition, we've purchased some adaptive recumbent electric tricycles.
Tara Tara McCarthy:One has arrived. We're waiting for the second one to arrive. But once those get safety checked, they are going to be available for the public to rent. They won't be on the street like the rest of our fleet, but if you have a family member or you yourself need a mobility aid to actually ride a cycle, you can affordably reserve those and rent those through us. Or if you have someone who's visiting town who needs a mobility aid cycle, you can come to us and reserve that.
Tara Tara McCarthy:In addition, relaunched our Pike Ride Plus program, which is a low to no in leasing program where someone gets to actually take home one of our bikes with additional storage and safety accessories and it's $35 a month. So if you take a look at like like our fuel costs these days or maintenance cost of a car, if you're a lower income individual or family, having access to an e bike for $35 a month can be life transforming. And so we're really excited to be able to get 40 more bikes in people's hands. And the amazing part of our program is that, let's say, I'm on the program, but all of sudden, they don't have a use for the bike anymore. Our team takes it in, runs it through a safety pass, and then it goes to the next person waiting in line.
Tara Tara McCarthy:So these 40 bikes could potentially impact hundreds of residents' lives through providing affordable transportation services.
Carly Ries:So you're you're learning to discuss transportation insecurity, and that's in I think that's invisible to most people. Mhmm. Or not most, but many, many people in this city. What have you learned about getting around this city for people that don't have a car that wouldn't even surprise you?
Tara Tara McCarthy:I think because of the work I do, I'm I'm probably more aware of the day to day challenges of some not having a personal vehicle. But when I hear stories of impact, I think that's where there's some connections to the fact that if you have a car, you're time privileged. You pick up your car keys by your front door, walk out to your driveway car, you drive exactly where you wanna go. We as car owners don't have to walk three mile excuse me, three hours per day to get whether directly to work or to the bus stop and take the bus and walk from the bus stop to the job. And so I think that's kind of eye opening is just recognizing that if you have a car, you can spend time with your family.
Tara Tara McCarthy:If you have a car, you can go see a movie. If you have a car, maybe go to the community center and get educational programming so much easier than someone who is spending hours of their time walking, riding the bus, or even, you know, sometimes even cycling can take a long period of time. And so that's that's been really eye opening for me.
Carly Ries:I told you this last time, but and I'll just say this to all of you. You're all doing incredible work for this city and for the cycling community. But, Tara, I mean, with the new expansion and everything, I I can't wait to see where Pike Ride goes next because it seems like you're just always moving one like, you're constantly moving in the right direction. It's wild.
Tara Tara McCarthy:Thank you. Yeah.
Carly Ries:Well, so okay. Let's go back to a few more questions that any of you can answer. So feel free to arm wrestle, whatever you wanna do. But we're talking about safety earlier, Tory. Or not Tory, Carrie.
Carly Ries:And so for all three of you, what's the single highest impact thing, like a policy project behavior that would make riding here safer, do you think?
Tara Tara McCarthy:Maybe I'll name two things. I think drivers are driving so fast these days. On top of the speed, we have distracted drivers. So I personally, as I'm looking out onto East Pikes Peak in front of our office here, I would love to see some speed limits reduced. I think that makes it safer for everybody whether you're in a car, whether you're walking, whether you're pushing a stroller, whether you're on a bike.
Tara Tara McCarthy:I think that is one thing that would drastically make our roads safer for every single person. And then like a small personal thing, would love to see the rights on red in the downtown corridor. I think a lot of people are trying to get to where they're going quickly, and they are kind of pulling into the crosswalks. They're not necessarily looking to their right as they look left to try and make a right on red. So I think that would be like a really small win that I would love to see the city take on.
Torie Giffin:So for me, I would love to see just a line down the path. There is something about a line that I feel like should have all the impact in the world. And I just I loved it coming underneath the new underpassed Colorado College, but love that there's a line there that divides the two slides. And this is your site because that's my favorite thing when I go bike other places like along the beaches and the boardwalks in California. There's just a line.
Torie Giffin:And, you know, oftentimes you get lucky and there's actually even, you know, the lanes just for cyclists and then the lanes for pedestrians. I also like buffered bike lanes because if you are gonna be in a road, there's something about those little plastic tubes sticking up from the ground that makes me feel a lot safer against all those distracted drivers. But I've had friends that have died in our community on a bike ride because of a distracted driver. And I wish our roads just felt safer because that's a huge deterrent to getting new cyclists out there is just the whole feeling of safety and there was nothing more fun than Amsterdam and that that there are more car more bikes than cars and the pedestrians even move out of the way of the bicycles. I mean, it was fantastic getting to see how travel moves when you just have bike lanes right alongside the road.
Torie Giffin:It was beautiful. Yeah.
Tara Tara McCarthy:I think, unfortunately, when I was thinking about this earlier, was thinking speed. But but but I'll alter mine a little bit since Tara grabbed that one. I think education on the impacts of speed. So vehicular speed of a pedestrian's hit or cyclist by a car that's going 30 miles an hour, it's a very high chance of a fatality. And just really educating people about the dynamics of that.
Tara Tara McCarthy:I also think education on is like when you push the had push button or at the the pedestrian signal, that actually stops all conflicting movements. So, I mean, we were just downtown the other day and saw people just standing there for an entire cycle. And if they had pushed the button, it would have gone into a recall and gotten the walk and the left turns would have been eliminated. So just an education of how to use our infrastructure that we have, impacts of the dangerous behaviors that and what they have in crashes. My daughter in driver's ed was told that you cross the line to get into the bike lane.
Tara Tara McCarthy:If you're gonna make a right turn, you cross the solid line. And when we were going right before her driving, I said, oh, no. No. You never cross the line. It's a bike lane.
Tara Tara McCarthy:You don't belong there. Oh, okay. And she got part points marked off. She was not happy with me.
Carly Ries:No. Jabba, you're right.
Tara Tara McCarthy:That is communication. Right. I think it's a little subjective, right, to the person who's teaching it. And the person who's teaching it, lovely as can be, but said, no. You don't wanna hold people back with your right turn.
Tara Tara McCarthy:You get into the bike lane if no one's there. And it's so it's really yeah. It it's education all around. Right?
Carly Ries:And, yeah, again, they just might be unaware. But speaking of being unaware, for people that maybe will never get on a bike again, unless it's like riding around their cul de sac with their kids or something, but actually, like, clip in. What would a a more bike friendly city do for those people?
Tara Tara McCarthy:It would definitely create other people getting on bikes, which would remove vehicles from the roadway. Right? So it would make driving more easier. It would maybe reach out to other people that they know with cycling. I I think that, you know, and as we pump up bike to work day and are trying to just get new people to bike for the first time even if it's not to work.
Tara Tara McCarthy:It it just does it
Carly Ries:you know, it's great for
Tara Tara McCarthy:your health. It's great for your mental health. It's great for congestion. It's great for air quality. It's just it's it's good all around.
Tara Tara McCarthy:So even if you're not a cyclist yourself, promoting these cycling facilities and being kind to cyclists and courteous when you're driving past them is just
Carly Ries:key. Well, so you just said the keyword, which is the pick of the week, you guys, which for me, and I think for all of you, is bike to work day. It's bike month. Bike to work day is June 24.
Tara Tara McCarthy:Tell us the details. Tell us everything about bike to workday. So bike to workday is always the last Wednesday in June, this year being June 24. And it is an event that people are working hard for six to eight months ahead of time to plan. And so we have if you go to the city's website, coloradosprings.gov/biketowork, there's an interactive map there and it has all of the trail networks, the bike facility, and breakfast stations, the party stations that are along the way.
Tara Tara McCarthy:So right now, I think we have about 38 aircraft stations signed up, and several of them are party stations. I'll let Tara talk about hers. And you can plan your route from home to work and make sure that you stop at a bunch
Torie Giffin:of them or one of
Tara Tara McCarthy:them or whatever. And they're all different types of stations, which is super fun. I love just kind of seeing the different vibe in all of them. So yeah. And it's just a commitment to trying to get more people to help ride.
Torie Giffin:Yeah. I've been doing the bike to work breakfast for years in this community. And so it was really exciting when I got the Buffalo line to the first very first year, we just jumped right on board with bike to work breakfast station. And so we make waffles, little mini waffles that we do, a little waffle breakfast that you could put in your teller or, you know, chocolate syrup or whipped cream on. And so it's always really popular.
Torie Giffin:We just love seeing all the bicyclists come stop by and get a breakfast and we used to be beer token to come back and have a drink at the end of the day. But I'm really excited that my podcast studio for the Pedal of Springs podcast, it's at Studio 809 downtown. They're gonna do a station for my cast live during that morning as well. And I'm sending my pancake mix down there for that. So but it's I mean I mean, the the big clue is, like, sign up.
Torie Giffin:Find out where all the stops are along your route. And it's just so fun to stop and get all the breakfast items and to see other cyclists and so many people out there riding. It's really joyful.
Carly Ries:Okay. So there was one question that I wanted to circle back on that I meant to ask you and got so excited when you were talking about no. It was my fault. Talking about bike to work day. Here, I feel like ebikes are a big topic right now.
Carly Ries:And it's changing everything. Who can ride? How far? How fast? Are they the great democratizer of cycling, do you think?
Carly Ries:Or do they bring new problems that we're not quite ready for?
Tara Tara McCarthy:I think it's both. I think innovation and technology always bring challenges as maybe policies need to be developed as parents might need to be educated. But I do believe that it it levels the play and field for a lot of people who might have mobility challenges, who have transportation issues. It it really is an equalizer in my mind.
Carly Ries:But I do
Tara Tara McCarthy:think there's a misperception today that anything with wheels with an electric motor is an e bike. E bikes have to have pedals. E bikes can't be more than 750 watts of motor. And there are that are selling
Torie Giffin:essentially electric motorcycles or electric dirt bikes as e bike. I do think more people are getting into biking because of e bike. So I think it's a great way to get people that might not otherwise jump on a bicycle on a bicycle and to experience that. And it's what's happened to me at my work is that as soon as I take my staff out and I take them on an e bike ride and expose it to them, next thing I know, all my staff are e bike commuting to work. I mean, thanks to some of the grants that they've had and things like that, I think it's an amazing way for us to, you know, help, you know, lower the carbon footprint and just, you know, if we get more e bikes out there, more people commuting to work, I mean, is it's gonna do all the great things that we've seen.
Torie Giffin:And when you look at communities like, I don't know, even going to Washington DC, they have their e bike rides through the Capital Bikes and all those communities that have the e bikes. I think that you see those as success stories and people are able to tour and and get that entry level exposure. It's best way to see a city. I'm so grateful that Pike Credit is expanding so much and especially into the needy communities out in the Southeast. But I think it's a game changer in a very good way.
Torie Giffin:The more people we can get on bikes and exposure, the more they're gonna wanna do it. And maybe they won't stay on an e bike. Maybe it'll get them to that fitness level. But we know that screen time and all of that is such a huge deterrent that anything that could bring fun. And I know that I got my 16 year old off the couch one time because they said, what if we go try those new Pike Ride e bikes?
Torie Giffin:And he didn't want to go for a regular ride but he was willing to try the e bike ride and we just had the best day in the whole world. So I actually like everybody knows me because I always say, yeehaw. You know? Right. And and and now I just think it's like that e bike smile.
Torie Giffin:And if you try it, it's gonna it's gonna make you an addict just like the rest of us.
Carly Ries:It's the best. Well, and you guys are the best. Thank you so so much for coming on the show today. I'm so excited about this episode, and just continue doing what you're doing because it's really changing our city. Thank you.
Carly Ries:Thank you. And listeners, thank you so much for tuning in. As always, share this episode with a friend, especially one who's a cyclist. Leave a five star review. We so appreciate it.
Carly Ries:And don't forget to subscribe to our show on Apple or Spotify, and we'll see you next week on Springs and Things.