Montoya admitted to the offense in April as part of a plea bargain that resulted in the dropping of several other charges originally filed against him, including driving under the influence/second alcohol-related offense. Jeffco prosecutors have described Montoya's record of driving violations as "lengthy"; it includes a prior DUI in 2014. He's expected to receive an eight-year sentence.
From Michael's perspective, that's not nearly long enough, since "this guy was a notorious lawbreaker who just killed an angel."
When asked to describe Gwen, Michael, who's also a competitive cyclist, says, "She was 46 and was a basketball player and state champion high jumper. She played volleyball, too, before she went off to Calvin College, a small Christian college in Michigan, and became an accountant. She moved out to Colorado and lived with her brother while she got her footing here. Her background was as a marathon runner, but when we met, she started to race bikes, and she was a natural. She went on to win ten state titles or something ridiculous like that, and, I think, six national titles.
"Everybody just loved her personality, because she was super-friendly," he adds. "Road biking isn't like mountain biking, where everybody gets along together. Road racing can be pretty cutthroat, but she would always reach out to the other gals and be friendly with everyone."
Michael is an Air Force veteran, and he points out that "after we got married in 2008, she took a lot of pride in supporting me while I was doing my military career. I just retired from the military that January [of 2021], so I got to have four months of retired life with her before she got killed. It was a super-fun four months, but you can't get those back."
The tragic day began in typical fashion. "We were just going to do a nice, easy bike ride, because I was racing later in the afternoon," he recalls. "She had a broken ankle, so she couldn't race, but she could still ride her bike. We were about three miles from our house, and she decided she was going to ride another hour. She was going to meet me back at the house, and after we said, 'I love you,' she took off climbing the hill on Alameda at Solterra. She was about 150 meters in front of me when this Montoya guy almost hit me and then went over the white line and plowed into her at 55 miles per hour while he was passing somebody on the right.
"It was 9:30 on a Sunday morning, and Gwen was in a six-foot-wide bike lane."
Gwen and Michael Inglis on a tandem bicycle.
Courtesy of Michael Inglis
The bike lane Gwen had been riding along when Montoya struck her didn't have any physical barriers; a simple line of paint separated it from the rest of the roadway. "Protected bike lanes would be nice," Michael acknowledges — but what he hopes today's ride will highlight is "the mentality of distracted driving. Traditionally, we've had distractions, like a driver looking down to grab a soda or scold a child or eat a Big Mac. But now we've got electronics — that cell phone in your hand — and texting and meth and so many prescription drugs that are available to lawbreakers. We're just stacking dangerous behaviors on top of each other."
In his view, "People need to start paying attention and realizing there are consequences for their actions."
Cyclists and friends of Gwen Inglis will meet at 10 a.m. today at the Confluence Park bike path, near REI, at 1416 Platte Street. A program set to get underway at 10:30 a.m. is expected to include remarks from Michael, Gwen's brother Keith Erffmeyer and other family members, as well as Pete Piccolo, executive director of Bicycle Colorado. Then, after a moment of silence at 11 a.m., Michael will lead riders to Golden along a route outlined on this map. After lunch in Golden, riders will depart for the Jefferson County Justice Center, 200 Jefferson County Parkway, at around 2 p.m. Montoya's hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in Courtroom 530.
Below, see a video of last year's memorial service for Gwen Inglis:
