We are excited to announce the addition of three new members of the Bicycle Colorado Board of Directors! Stephanie Puello, Eugene Howard and Marcus Robinson are all longtime partners of the organization and will provide valuable and critical perspective to help govern and oversee our organizational activities.

All three new board members are also Black leaders and organizers in Colorado. We are honored and thankful for their leadership in the community and on our Board.

We asked Stephanie, Eugene and Marcus to share with us a little bit about what biking means to them and why they decided to join the Board of Directors. Read their responses below!

Stephanie Puello

Stephanie is the founder of the Denver chapter of Black Girls Do Bike, an organization supporting primarily Black women who have a passion for cycling.

What words do you associate with biking?

Community, fitness, outdoors, cities, commuting, environment, endurance.

Where is your favorite place to ride a bike?

All around the city. My favorite kind of riding is urban cycling, so I love riding around city neighborhoods, parks and downtown.

Why did you decide to join Bicycle Colorado’s board?

I joined Bicycle Colorado as a Board Member because I share the goal of wanting to make cycling safer, more accessible and more inclusive in Denver and Colorado. As a leader in the cycling community, I hope to contribute insights from my experience and collaborate with other Board members, Bicycle Colorado staff, and the broader community to help meet this mission collectively. As a public administration and policy scholar, I am also interested in education, advocacy, and encouragement of active community engagement with public and nonprofit organizations. My hope is that both my cycling experience and educational training and skills can be of service and that together we can build healthy, safe, active, equitable and vibrant communities across Colorado.

Marcus Robinson

Marcus is the cofounder and executive director of Ride for Racial Justice, which works to ensure access to resources, education, and community for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) cyclists and to dismantle systemic racism.

What words do you associate with biking?

Freedom.

Where is your favorite place to ride a bike?

As I’m a Front Range Denver resident, who doesn’t love riding Grapevine, Mt. Vernon and Kerr Gulch with some Red Rocks thrown in? But my true love is all the gravel and dirt roads around Niwot and of course Steamboat Springs.

Why did you decide to join Bicycle Colorado’s board?

Joining BC was the natural progression for me personally and to represent the BIPOC cycling community giving them a voice and seat at the table through me.

Eugene Howard

Eugene is a local Denver urban transportation and land use planner. He prioritizes building transportation systems that prioritize multimodal options for people riding bikes and walking. He is an expert in authentic community engagement as well as working with government leaders. He is also an assistant professor, teaching urban and regional planning coursework at CU Denver. The bike (and transit) are his sole modes of transportation.

What words do you associate with biking?

“Childhood Freedom.” For me, riding my bike as a young child represented “freedom.” Born in a small-ish Iowa town, I remember being able to bike from one side of town to the other, visiting family along the way. Before learning how to ride my bike, I felt I could only get places by car (and with my parents). I remember the first time I rode to my grandparents’ home—on my own—and how “grown up” and independent I felt. I loved it!!

Where is your favorite place to ride a bike?

Feeling more like a “city mouse” these days, I prefer to ride around Denver, using our bikeways and bike lane infrastructure. “If you build it, we will come!” And I love being able to get to neighborhoods, restaurants, breweries, etc., without worrying about traffic, parking or parking fees!

Why did you decide to join Bicycle Colorado’s board?

I joined the Bicycle Colorado Board because I want today’s families and youth to experience the same “freedom of movement” I felt when I was a child. We don’t have to rely upon cars to get around. I think we experience our surroundings in a more meaningful way when we are on a bike—whether that’s on a trail in the mountains, on a long rural stretch in the suburbs, or casually passing cars stuck in rush hour gridlock (this last one is my favorite). So, working for an organization that is promoting mobility choice for ALL Coloradans is where I want to spend my time and energy!