Meet Chris Mygatt, BikeDenver’s January Bike Hero! President and COO of Coldwell Banker’s Residential Brokerage, Colorado, Chris knows that living green is a top priority for many Denver homebuyers. As such, he’s passionate about supporting bicycling and sustainable living in our fair city, both personally and professionally.
Chris and his family live in the Wash Park neighborhood, and they marvel at how easy it is to get around by bike. “Within ¾ of a mile we have access to tons of trails–a huge network of paths. It’s pretty incredible.” And while Chris rides the 3-mile commute to his office as weather and offsite meetings allow, the rest of the time he rolls his Chevy Volt. “I’ve had it for almost a year, it just hit 10,000 miles, and the computer says it’s used 71 gallons of fuel. I’ve only filled up five times. In a year!” Better yet, charging the car is no problem; Chris just plugs it into his solar-panel-equipped garage and, as he puts it, “Zero carbon. It’s perfect.”
In 2005, Chris and Coldwell Banker’s Director of Marketing, Todd Moir, collaborated to create Ride the Range, a yearly event for Coldwell Banker employees covering 300 miles in three days and traveling between 14 Denver area offices. Proceeds from the ride are donated to agents’ favorite local non-profits. Chris says, “It’s a lot of fun and really motivates and mobilizes agents to get involved in a way that benefits the entire community.”
Ride the Range has been such a success that in 2009, Chris and Todd decided to add a public event, and the Coldwell Banker Denver Century Ride was born! This, the event’s third year, will be better than ever with a start/finish line at Stapleton’s Central Park and 25, 62, 85, and 100-mile ride options. The various routes include all of Denver’s best riding: Lookout Mountain, Castle Pines, and Cherry Creek Reservoir, just to name a few. Space is limited, so BikeDenver suggests signing up early here for this year’s Denver Century on Father’s Day, July 17th. And don’t forget to tip your helmet to Chris when you see him out on your training rides to thank him for being a true Denver Bike Hero!
[Submitted by Erin Hilmer]
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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 Chris, 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!”
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(courtesy Denver Cruiser Ride)
