Active in Office

In the spirit of this election year, as candidates local and national are out campaigning and the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Denver end of this month, we decided to check in with busy politicians around our active state to hear how they stay fit and healthy.

Bill Ritter

Twice a week, a small group of early risers pedal to meet Governor Bill Ritter for one of his sunrise rides. They call themselves the “Morning Machine” and even have specially designed jerseys. While most are still waking up, Ritter arrives with a smile on his face and sometimes singing. It’s time to get down to business to clip in and ride. With a schedule that would wear down the best of us, Ritter cherishes this precious pedaling time and the group follows suit. With the Governor leading, the group heads out for a 20-mile loop around Denver.

As Governor of the Rocky Mountain state, Bill Ritter is one busy man. But he makes it a priority to fit in exercise whenever he can. For many years, running was his cardio activity and he participated in the Bolder Boulder every year from 1990-1999. Then back surgery and sore knees forced him to change gears, literally. Four years ago, Ritter started road cycling.

“I bought an old road model for $100 years back so I always had a bike,” Ritter says. But when he left the District Attorney’s office after being elected Governor, his workmates upgraded him to a fancy new Cannondale CAD 5 as a going-away gift. He still rides that bike today.

Along with his Morning Machine rides during the week, Ritter strives to fit in at least one longer ride on the weekends. “My staff work hard to keep my bike window open,” he says. He’s ridden the Elephant Rock Ride three times and MS 150 once; he also hopes to have time for Ride the Rockies while still in office.

“Exercise is one way I deal with stress management,” explains Ritter. “If I fell off exercising, it would be very hard to get back on it because my schedule is so demanding. If I get a bike ride in at 5:45 a.m., I feel the benefit of it at 9:30 p.m. If I don’t exercise, I’m tired.”

Along with cycling year-round as weather permits, Ritter is an avid fly fisherman and horseback rider.

At last year’s Elephant Rock, Ritter signed the Share the Road legislation that allowed for the sale of Share the Road license plates with a cyclist on them. Funding from plate sales supports the Share the Road Education Fund making roads safer for cyclists.

“When the opportunity came along to sign the legislation, I warmly embraced it,” says Ritter. “I have great respect for the people who worked so long and hard on the legislation. It was important to me to make cycling safe in Colorado because so many people come to Colorado to ride.”

 

Greg Brophy

For Senator Greg Brophy, cycling is the sport of choice. “I ride my bike winter, spring, summer and fall,” he says. Brophy started cycling in college as a hobby, but took a break from the road to work his farm. Now with a more flexible work schedule, he’s hitting the road again and doing some bike touring.

Brophy’s training paid off last summer when he finished the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race with a time of 8:57:43—beating his nine-hour goal. “I really like the effort that goes into [cycling], and being outside where you get to see and smell the world. It’s a great time to clear your head,” he says. “It’s also a good way to chat with folks. Honestly, I think cycling is replacing golf.”

In 2007, Brophy co-sponsored the Share the Road legislation with Representative Terrance Carroll. “It’s important that everyone who uses the road is treated equally,” he says. Brophy also frequently serves as a liaison between government agencies and cycling tour companies.

Brophy’s love of cycling and his hometown of Wray are both showcased during his campaign fundraising event—Blast n’ Bike.  During the event, Brophy treats visitors to target practice on his farm’s leftover watermelons and a long bike ride. He’s looking forward to his third Blast n’ Bike event this year.

 

David Balmer

Representative David Balmer is lucky to have two very motivated workout partners: his Vizsla dogs, Scout and Cooper. The threesome spends their summers jogging and their winters snowshoeing in Cherry Creek State Park and the foothills. An avid road biker, Balmer also cycles frequently around the Denver metro area.

“I have an army background, so I’ve done a lot of jogging in my life,” he says. “Now I bike because it’s lower impact.” Balmer enjoys two- to three-hour bike rides where he can elevate his heart rate for an extended period of time. “I’m interested in going moderately fast for a long period of time for a good aerobic exercise,” he says.

In the winter months, Balmer favors the flatlands over the slopes.  “I absolutely love snowshoeing because you can get away from everything, and I feel like I’ve had a really good workout,” he says. “My dogs love it and I like to see how happy they are when they are away from everything.”

 

Shaun McGrath

Back in his 20s, Boulder Mayor Shaun McGrath got his workouts in playing Ultimate in Kansas and in Germany where he studied abroad. In 1984, he coached and captained the German National Team that took 8th place at the World Championships. But after a knee injury on the field, he says, “I had to look for a new obsession.” That was mountain biking.           

“It was a natural thing because I’d been biking my whole life,” he explains. McGrath got into racing and spent several months in the early 1990s traveling from race to race around Colorado. Then he moved to Washington, DC to work for a congressman and continued racing in that region. One highlight was his first 24-hour race in West Virginia. “At the 24 Hours of Canaan, I had one of my hottest dates ever. She was one of my teammates…and I ended up marrying her.”

Now in Colorado—and a few years older—McGrath enjoys more endurance recreational riding on both trails and the road. He’s also transitioned his love of Ultimate to disc golf and does yoga several times a week. In winter you’ll find him zipping around on skate skis.

“My favorite days are when I do a ‘triathlon’ where I go to yoga, bike and then play disc golf,” McGrath says. “It’s important for me for my mental health to stay in good physical condition. Some of my best thinking happens on my bike rides.”

On the legislative side, McGrath has been a voice for recreation in Boulder. “I made it a priority when I first got elected to help develop the first Visitor Master Plan for our Open Space and Mountain Parks to find a balance that allows for recreation while also preserving those lands and the wildlife,” he says. He has also been very involved in the planning for Valmont Park, which will feature a cycling track, disc golf course, and fields for Ultimate, rugby and soccer. And he helped organize the first-ever Bike Summit in Boulder, which brought together more than 100 local representatives from across the industry to discuss cycling issues in Boulder and around Colorado.