Meet our team!

We recently met as a team and handed out our sweet Primal high-viz gear!

We gathered responses to some commuting questions to hopefully inform you and your commutes, and to help guide you in your commuting journey!  More new members and more responses coming soon!

Name	Lydia	Kristin	Mary Beth	Steph	Tiffany	Dawn
Location	Lives in SW Littleton, works in DTC	Live in DTC, Work in Lowry	Lives in Whittier, Works in Highlands (soon to be downtown Denver)	South Boulder/ Broomfield	Live in Englewood, works in downtown Denver	Live in Littletown - Work in LoDo
Favorite place to commute and favorite route	Love commuting to work via the c470 trail	Love riding to work-it clears my mind at the beginning and end of a long day	I love my morning 6:30 am commute (sometimes). Often, I reach the top of the 20th St. bridge or Cuernavaca Park right as the sun comes up over downtown, and it’s fun to watch my ride change with the seasons. Very little of my ride is on paths, but I like riding through downtown every day.	Work –Route TBD	I love to commute to work via the South Platte and Cherry Creek Trail system.  It is not the most direct route but I can get all the way to work almost exclusively on bike paths.	Any place that has a great coffee shop!  Mostly REI/Starbucks. S Platte River Trail is always the easiest, but typically the busiest route.
Best piece of gear to make commuting easier/possible?	The bike of course!!  Otherwise, probably my Osprey backpack for carrying my clothing/cosmetic essentials.	my Camelback, I can fit a pair of pants and shirt in there along with snacks, wallet, water and phone without a problem	On below zero winter days, my gigantic Black Diamond mitts with handwarmers inside have been key! Otherwise, I’m a sucker for a nice waterproof backpack and a few little zip pouches to keep wallets and bike tools organized and easy to access. And good rechargeable lights.	Waterproof Bag	I would have to say my bike bell!  It is an effective and friendly way to let other trail users know you are around.	A properly fitted bike and definitely a comfortable backpack.  I have several backpacks and depending on how my day is planned, that will dictate the bag needed
Best piece of advice for getting ready at work on commuting days?	Plan ahead!  Carrying shoes in your backpack is a pain and takes a ton of space and maybe there's a blouse you don't want wrinkled. Take it to work the day before so you don't have to carry it. I usually leave a couple pair of shoes at my office in fact.	Plan ahead and keep a supply of toiletries and clothing in the office already so that all you really need to carry on your back is food, water, phone and other essentials.	I have a pretty casual job this year, so I often ride in my work clothes which include lots of nice wool stuff. I also keep a few extra layers and shoes at work. I have a good place to wash up, and keep a Paktowl and toiletries at work as well.	Pack a light	In order to make commuting mornings go smoothly I try to get everything ready the night before.  This includes making sure my front and back lights are charged, appropriate clothes are laid out and coffee is ready to go!	Plan ahead!!  I keep an extra bag of make-up, shower supplies, etc. at work, so I don't have to transport everything.  Depending on my schedule, I will bring my clothes & shoes in the day before (works out well since I am commuting a few days a week).
What you would tell women who want to start commuting but don't know where to begin?  Mapping?  Packing?  Routes? Pre-planning? Equipment?	I would actually say planning ahead is key. I check my meeting schedule, bring shoes or clothing ahead of the commuting day, things like that. But know your route too. My commute required me to play with my route a bit closer to work because there's a lot of traffic in the DTC. Taking a road that had a little less traffic felt safer and so while it has a wicked hill, there's a lot fewer cars on it. Driving your route in advance is good for checking road conditions too, like narrow shoulders or potholes.	I would say partner with a friend who is starting out as well and encourage each other. Pre plan your routes and maybe meet on the weekend for some exercise during a practice run so there is not that stress and worry when you are trying to get to work.  Use websites, apps or even trail maps that you can get at many bike shops to locate the trails that will work best for you and enjoy this green, gas/money saving, healthy way to travel.	When I used to ride only occasionally, it was a pretty ridiculous production to get myself ready the night before. Once you start, it’s easy to fall into your habits and routines, and now everything is just second nature and it’s no big deal to ride every day. So be patient with yourself as you figure out what works. Keep it fun and try new routes or find a friend. Find a friendly shop and ask questions.  Keep essentials at work. When I first started, setting a fun treat as a goal was awesome. Maybe if you ride a certain number of days each week, you get to stop for coffee or ice cream or buy a fun new bike gadget.	I practiced my route on the weekend to identify a safe route.  Packing the night before the commute also helps.  Bring contingency equipment (light, tube, snack, phone) in case of weather, mechanical or other surprise!	I think the best piece of advice I could offer is to keep an open mind.  Investigate a variety of routes, maybe consider making your commute ‘multi-modal’ (perhaps some bike and some bus).  Also, keep in mind that you don’t HAVE to ride every day, but if you stick with it, you’ll probably find yourself wanting to!	Ask around!  You'd be surprised at the number of women who commute regularly.  If you're new to the area (like me), the Google Maps app will be your new best friend!  You can view the hundreds of miles of trails that are all over the Denver metro area.  If you're an adventurous person, take some time on a Saturday/Sunday, find a trail, grab a few friends and just start riding!  You never know where the road will lead, so take plenty of water, cell phone and some money (in case you happen to be lucky enough to stumble upon a coffee shop!!) For me it was important to get comfortable with my commuting route before doing it, so I rode it several times with some friends.  To get started, I highly recommend visiting a few local bike shops.  Each shop will have employees who are  very informative, but for me, it was important to find a shop that I could connect to and feel comfortable asking questions.  There will be an all-women's bike store opening up in Littleton within the next few months, which is really exciting!!  What better way for women to learn more about bikes/cycling than from other women!
Your longest-ever commute?	I don't always leave right from my house because I have to drop my daughter at daycare first, so my commute is generally 12 miles. If I leave from home it's 20 miles.	40 miles	My commute now is pretty easy- only 5 miles each way. I’ve never had a super long commute, so I push myself to do all my errands by bike, especially since I got rid of my car last September. Shopping at Costco, picking up rental skis, going to the hardware store. Finding ways to challenge what I can do on a bike keeps it interesting for me.	I ran 20 miles to work once and commuted from work directly to a group ride several times.	While not technically a ‘commute’ I have ridden over to visit my parents on occasion, which works out to a 50 mile round trip.	My normal commute is 12 miles (24 roundtrip), but I've ridden 15-30 if there's ice cream/coffee/diner food involved.  To me, commuting is more about the journey, than the mileage.  Certainly, from a health perspective, adding a few extra miles to your trip will pay off big in the end, both physically and mentally.