30: Beth Roalstad: Building Community on Two Wheels30: Beth Roalstad: Building Community on Two Wheels
a Place for everyone
Beth Rolstadt and Tori Giffen talk about how group cycling, especially a women’s ride, connects people while addressing homelessness and safety on local trails. The conversation links bikes, dignity, and better city infrastructure as key parts of a healthier, more caring community.
31:08•29 Jul 2026
Building Community, One Bike Ride at a Time
Episode Overview
- Women-only rides can create a relaxed space for honest conversation, gentle competition, and new friendships.
- Treating unhoused people as individuals first, rather than as a problem, changes how riders experience the trails.
- Simple habits like greeting people, moderating speed, and announcing your approach can improve safety and respect for everyone on shared paths.
- Street outreach with trained staff often leads to better outcomes than repeated law-enforcement contact for people experiencing homelessness.
- Investment in public bathrooms, shade, and trail maintenance supports both recreational users and unhoused residents, and needs honest discussion around city budgets.
“Every time I see a homeless person outside, I see an opportunity to help change someone's life. And I see a person first.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? For many, it starts on two wheels. This episode brings together cycling, community, and homelessness through the experiences of social worker and longtime rider Beth Rolstadt, interviewed by her friend and fellow cyclist, resort owner and podcast host Tori Giffen. You’ll hear how Beth’s childhood joy on a pink bike with a banana seat grew into 20 years of active riding around Colorado Springs and beyond, including crossing Iowa together on Ragbrai.
That love of bikes now fuels the Wednesday Women’s Ride at The Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort, where Beth leads routes that balance gentle competition with easy conversation about work, family, and future dreams. The chat doesn’t shy away from harder topics. Tori asks directly about homeless camps on the trails and the fears many riders feel.
Beth answers from her social work perspective, stressing that "every time I see a homeless person outside, I see an opportunity to help change someone's life. And I see a person first." She explains local street outreach efforts and how trained teams engage people with dignity, linking them to shelter, health care, and longer-term housing.
You’ll also get a grounded look at trail safety: practical habits like moderating speed, greeting people kindly, and recognising that most concerns aren’t violent crime but frustration over litter, glass, and lack of facilities. Beth argues that better bathrooms, shade, and trail maintenance would benefit both cyclists and unhoused residents, and she doesn’t shy away from talking about the need for honest conversations around city budgets and taxation.
Throughout, the tone stays warm and down-to-earth, mixing light humour (including a suggestion that men might need tutus to join the women’s ride) with clear, compassionate ideas about how a city can care for its people and its parks. If you’re curious how recovery, respect, and bikes can share the same path, this one’s worth your time. What small change could you make on your next ride to see the human being first?
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