Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/124935
STREET CRED: Rideshare coordinator and planner, Madison Area Transportation Planning Board; founding member of MadFORCs (Madison's Female Off-Road Cyclists) Setting the pace: Renee Callaway has made a career out of a steadfast mission: assisting Madisonians with ditching their car and finding other ways to travel. "I was UW-Madison's first bike and pedestrian coordinator, so I oversaw everything from bike parking to route planning, and eventually managed their alternative transportation program," she says. These days Callaway paves the way for transportation alternatives through a program called Rideshare Etc. "People can search for a carpool partner, a vanpool, even a bike buddy," she explains. She also fields calls and emails from individuals who want to try bike or bus commuting, but are nervous about some of the unknowns: What route should I take? What if I get a flat tire? How do I get the bus to stop and how much does it cost? From 2006 through early 2012, she was the coordinator for Safe Routes to School, a program organized by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. "When I started, it was a brand new program so I had to set up everything for the entire state," she recalls. "It's a great program because not every kid wants to play soccer, but every kid does need to get to school. By biking, they are able to be active in another way." growing sport of cyclo-cross—a type of racing that involves short courses on various terrain. It's an up-and-coming sport she describes as "a big community hanging out at a party. We just happen to race our bikes in between." When wielding a mountain bike, Callaway remains active with Madison's Female Off-Road Cyclists, or MadFORCs, a group she co-founded in 1994. Today, she helps host and coordinate clinics and weekly rides for women of all experience levels wanting to hop on a mountain bike and hit the dirt. Cycling style: Quite simply, Callaway loves being perched on any bike. "I just love riding," she states. "But I probably ride my commuter bike the most. I ride to work every day dressed in my work clothes!" But her main passion is in the dirtdriven world of mountain biking and the The chain reaction: Professionally, Callaway has turned her laser-beam focus toward the Dane County Bike Plan. Slated for later this year, the joint project brings together advocacy groups, city transportation offices and Dane County—an effort that could have a lasting impact on local communities. THE ALT-TRANSPORT GURU RENEE CALLAWAY "It's not just about infrastructure, but also education and encouragement," she says. "It's an important project because it will focus on the priorities for the future to make Dane County a great place to be a cyclist." When it comes to her work with MadFORCs and love for cyclo-cross, Callaway has no plans of slowing down soon. "I think sometimes these sports can seem a little intimidating," she says. But by sharing her passion with others, she hopes to help more women get over the hump of thinking rocks and roots are too much for them to handle on a bike. "Both are sports people can learn, but sometimes if you're out there and you're not getting instruction, it's frustrating," she says. She's got the right mix of tools to show any wannabe biker the skills to get rolling. Favorite bike vacation: "I've biked from the north to the south of Switzerland on my road bike, and my husband and I went to Italy and Wales for mountain biking," she says. "And various places in the U.S., but the European locations sound sexier!" Favorite pit stop: "I like to ride to New Glarus and stop at the [New Glarus] Bakery. It's kind of a classic stop," she says. May 2013 bravamagazine.com 37