May is National Bike Month. To commemorate this celebration of cycling, we’re highlighting a couple who used the New Mexico Rail Runner Express and connecting buses to aide them in an extensive ride earlier this month.
Thomas Kopler, a resident of Littleton, Colorado, first reached out to Rio Metro’s Customer Service Department in September 2022 to inquire about bringing touring bikes on the train. He and his wife Barbara Mickelson were starting to plan a ride in central and northern New Mexico and wanted to supplement their journey with public transit.
Between September 2022 and April 2023, Kopler was in contact with Customer Service for trip planning assistance using the Rail Runner and North Central Regional Transit District (NCRTD) Blue Buses. In early May, they embarked on their journey.
The Trip
“We rode our bikes from Santa Fe to Albuquerque,” said Kopler. This took two days. “Then we rode the Rail Runner back to Santa Fe.”
After reaching Santa Fe, Kopler and Mickelson took two NCRTD Blue Bus routes to Taos (one day) and then to their destination of Costilla, NM.
“We rode our bikes back to Taos,” said Kopler, also adding that this portion of the ride took one day. “Then we rode to Pojoaque and finished in Santa Fe.”
All-in-all, the cycling portion of their trip was approximately 180-miles. “We are parallel biking the Great Divide trail one state at a time,” said Kopler. “We have completed New Mexico from the southern border to the Colorado border.”
They began this leg of their tour on May 6 and finished May 12.
Transit Connection
Kopler worked with Rio Metro Customer Service Representative Lisa Sedillo to help plan the transit portion of the trip. She was able to assist him with train schedules and bus connections, as well as answer questions about taking bikes on public transportation.
“We want to thank Lisa for her assistance,” he said. “We very rarely receive the excellent customer service that Lisa provided! We wish we could clone and distribute her to other transportation/accommodation businesses.”
“The New Mexico bus and rail system is second to none,” he added. “The whole trip was just a wonderful experience!”
Biking Resources
Planning to take your bike on the train? Here’s a list of resources to help you get started: