Woman Gone Wild: Meet our February Bike Hero, Tiffany Barnhart!

Meet Tiffany Barnhart, Denver Zoo’s Director of Communications and winner of last year’s Wild Ride, the zoo’s environmental sustainability contest for full-time employees willing to give up their cars for a year in favor of alternative transportation. Her prizes included lots of great commuting gear; a sweet, custom bike by Fort Collins’s Panda Bicycles (made predominatley from bamboo); and the feel-good factor of reducing her carbon footprint for the benefit of all species found at the zoo–including humans!

A busy professional with a husband, an almost-four-year-old daughter, and two dogs, at first Barnhart wasn’t quite sure how her daily ride from her home in Wheat Ridge would pan out. ”A number of things occurred to me when I considered giving up my car as a commuting method to work,” she says. “I’m a mother, I have a demanding job and emergencies happen. In the end, though, I want to show people that if I can do it, anyone can do it.” In fact, Barnhart has discovered that her commitment to bike-commuting is not only doable, she loves it! “It’s wonderful to know that this simple step is helping keep our air clean,” she explains. “However, to be honest, it’s been great for me personally as well. The 12-mile trip to the zoo is a great workout and I really enjoy being a part of the biking community.”

*****

Bike Hero of the Month Awards highlight different people each month, and help encourage other people to bike by telling the Hero’s personal story. The goal of the Bike Hero Awards Program is to showcase the diversity of citizen-cyclists and the people who support them in Denver.

BikeDenver’s Executive Director Piep van Heuven says: “We introduced the Bike Hero awards because we want to encourage a friendly environment for and public image of bicyclists in Denver. One of the ways we can do this is to showcase the different faces of and great stories about people in our community, like Tiffany Barnhart, who ride bikes or help others get out there and ride. Through the Bike Hero awards, BikeDenver honors bicyclists of all ages and walks of life, from the first time bicyclist to the rain-or-shine bicyclist!  We all know people (our neighbors, co-workers, family members or community leaders) who inspire us to reach for the handlebars instead of the car keys. Take a moment to look around you and help BikeDenver recognize the people in our community who are making a difference for Denver, one ride at a time!”