Our Team
Sharon Madison
Executive Director
Early on in her childhood, Sharon figured out her mind was a powerful engine if she fed it with the right words and actions. Her approach paid off! In her early adult years, she started in retail, finding herself being promoted as one of the youngest store managers at the Ralph Lauren shop in Cherry Creek. When she took up bike racing and put in the hard work it took, she became a top competitor. Because of her actions and thoughts that “she’s got this,” she found herself the winner of 2 gold medals at the Maccabi Games in Israel in 2013 and the Colorado Road Race State champion in 2014. Her positive energy caught the eye of a nonprofit wanting someone to build up the cycling club arm of their organization. Sharon took on the challenge and created a thriving community of cyclists who followed Sharon’s lead in supporting each other with their goals.
Not only does Sharon harness her thoughts and actions to make “it happen,” but she also knows how to “turn lemons into lemonade” when everyday life throws her curveballs. The pandemic caused the nonprofit to shut down her 6-year efforts of building up the cycling arm, where she put her whole heart and soul into its development. Yes, she was crushed by its closing, but her lemonade-making skills were put to the test—best lemonade yet, because she was determined to create a new nonprofit that would be even more robust than the previous one. We Ride 4 was born end of April 2020, where she is the Executive Director. She made sure to make her new nonprofit serve dual purposes: to build wonderful camaraderie amongst the membership, but, just as importantly, to have the organization give back to the larger community by riding 4 a local nonprofit supporting kids’ healthy lifestyles by getting them involved in outdoor fun. A round of applause for Sharon’s success with making We Ride 4 a reality!
John Genell
Director of Operations
Along with Sharon Madison, John is one of the founders of We Ride 4 and is principally involved in developing and executing its long-term strategic initiatives. He is a senior executive with over 35 years of business experience. Prior to co-founding We Ride 4; he spent the last 11 years of his career as the market sales leader for Grant Thornton in the Desert and Mountain States Region. He also has over 10 years of experience in Management Consulting working with Fortune 100 C-Level executives developing strategic business and technology solutions for their global operations.
He has a B.S. in Accounting from Villanova University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
To many members of the We Ride 4 community, he’s known as the Chief Ambassador. To others, he’s known as Juan Jose Gigante, international roadie, gravel rider, and route mapper. To those that don’t know him very well, he’s often mistakenly referred to as Mr. Madison, Sharon’s plus one. For We Ride 4, he’s a ride leader, brand ambassador, strategic advisor, and curator to our operating model. For him, it’s not how far you ride, or how fast you rode it, but how many people join him for ice cream afterward.
His average Wordle score is 3.25 guesses. His daily NY Times Mini Crossword average time is 58 seconds. His best time for a medium difficulty Sudoku puzzle is 2 minutes, 12 seconds. That leaves a lot of time every day to work on We Ride 4 business initiatives and build his portfolio as a part-time real estate developer.
When he’s not dreaming up routes for our 3-day events in Colorado every Summer, you can visit him at his house in Tucson between the first and the last snowstorms in Colorado every Winter and he’ll show you all the best road and gravel routes in Southern Arizona while helping to grow the We Ride 4 Tucson chapter. But if riding isn’t your thing, that’s ok. He knows all the best authentic taco stands in the Tucson metro area…
His favorite line for We Ride 4… "Just come and be part of it, however it works for you!”
Board of Directors
Todd Lancaster
Todd is a proud third-generation Colorado mountain pioneer, born and raised in Idaho Springs. As much as Todd loved his Idaho Springs digs, he knew he needed to leave the nest to go to college. He made a point to look for colleges close to skiing and were cheap. He attended Air Force Academy, and upon graduation, he was offered a pilot training slot. This training led him to fly jets as an instructor for 5 years. Always trying to find the next most unorthodox way forward, he transitioned to special forces helicopters. Todd explains that trying to keep skiing in the beautiful state of Colorado as the main criterion for his college search was the “best mistake” he’s ever made because he ended up in a 26 year Air Force career, retiring in 2011 as a colonel and with over 300 combat hours.
Always up for the next challenge, Todd found himself working in an even more demanding role than combat when he became a 2-time superintendent of public schools for Clear County. Todd was recognized in the education field within 2 years of service with Colorado’s Excellence in Education award and was invited to attend Harvard University’s course in public education.
Todd left public education and became an executive coach and leadership consultant. Initially, he focused on public education but soon expanded his work to include corporate, non-profit, government, and higher education.
Todd has two amazing daughters, one a nurse in Colorado Springs and another a newly minted Air Force officer training to become an Air Battle Manager and eventually an Air Force pilot. His family was always involved in cycling when he was growing up. A portion of the Clear Creek bike path is dedicated to his younger brother, Scott Lancaster, who was killed in Clear Creek County by a mountain lion. Todd and Scott rode together on the first Ride the Rockies, where Scott was the youngest rider.
Todd met Sharon when she was leading another non-profit cycling club. She captured his heart and soul. When Todd learned Sharon had started her own non-profit, he jumped on board to support her. He wants to help build We Ride 4 into a scalable model so she can realize her vision of taking WR4 nationally with individual chapters interconnected across the United States.
Kennen Cohen
Kennen comes to the We Ride 4 Board of Directors by way of his stellar work ethic in life, sports, and career. When Kennen takes something on, he gives it his all, and that's precisely what happened when he joined WR4 in the early fall of 2021. In early spring, he was tapped to be the WR4 co-captain for the 2022 MS ride, where WR4 had joined forces with Primal and Audi Denver to become the Primal-Audi Denver-We Ride 4 team. The team's success with more than 122 riders and raising more than 128k, with Kennen raising more than 5k himself, illustrates his natural leadership abilities.
Kennen comes from a strong background in his 17-year career in the title industry, where he worked with everything in real estate—- from builders to lenders to real estate professionals. Seeing his career path being affected by the recession in 2011, he decided to make a bold move by starting his own Realtor practice despite the plight of the economy. He has built a thriving business that can be accredited to the same work ethic that has found him success with his biking. Kennen is someone who jumps in with "all hands on deck."
Family is everything to Kennen. He credits his successes in all he does to his beloved wife, Cynthia, because of her unwavering support! The two are very proud of their sons, one a junior in college and the other a senior at DSST-Byers High School. This family has always valued taking time out of everyone's busy days and ensuring they all sit down for dinner regularly!
Kennen loves how We Ride 4's values align with his own: self-improvement, community, and riding to give to the club's partner non-profits. Because of his uncanny tenacity and drive, as a board member, he will work hard to help We Ride 4 become an even better version of itself.
Shaun Gleason
Shaun's love of cycling began in 1986 when a boyfriend convinced her to get a road bike. While the boyfriend is gone, the bike (a 1986 purple Cannondale) still hangs from her garage ceiling! She found her way to We Ride 4 through an informal riding group that included We Ride 4's Chief Ambassador, John Genell. John later introduced her to the club's founder and director, Sharon Madison, whose kindness, enthusiasm, and unmatched leadership ability leaves Shaun in awe to this day! When Sharon started We Ride 4, Shaun knew she had found her cycling "home," not only for its great community, but also for its mission of giving back.
Shaun brings to We Ride 4 a professional background in Pharmacy, but with an uncommon path. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, but later earned her Masters of Global Studies (for the fun of it) and is four Spanish classes from a French degree (her real love). This background has taught her to think creatively. As an Assistant Dean of University of Colorado's Skaggs School of Pharmacy, she started the first online international Doctor of Pharmacy degree program. In her first professional role (National Jewish Health), she specialized in pharmacokinetics where she researched pushing the dosing limits (safely) of TB drugs. Seven years in medical affairs management with Johnson & Johnson opened her eyes to the importance (and fun!) of partnership and strategic thinking. Shaun's love of service has come through professionally, where she had served in leadership roles of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and the International Pharmaceutical Federation.
Shaun's greatest joy comes from serving her community. She recently earned Platinum Volunteer status with National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) through her 15+ years as an adaptive sit-ski and stand-ski instructor (9 years in partnership with Children's Hospital Colorado) and was featured in NSCD's 2023 Annual Impact Report. Shaun spent 14 years as an usher at Augustana Lutheran Church, where she loved chatting with parishioners and never dropped an offering tray!
Shaun's husband, Richard, supports her in the professional and service activities (often joining her) ... and hangs her bikes on the ceiling!
Shaun looks forward to using her personal and professional skills, including love of service, to help WR4 advance its mission of giving back ... and having fun on bikes!
David Fine
David Fine is a fourth- generation Coloradan who is thrilled to be part of the We Ride 4 community. David has two adult children whom he is super proud of and lives in the Park Hill neighborhood of Denver with his wife Stephanie and their somewhat annoying but lovable Sheepadoodle Oscar. While he's been a cyclist all his life, he didn't start riding seriously until he gave up competitive soccer when he realized he was a bit too old for a U-35 mens' league at age 53. It was hard to give up a sport he played in college at the D-1 level but he is thrilled to keep up an active life by cycling. When he is not cycling, skiing or hiking he spends his time at his day job as General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees of Metropolitan State University of Denver. Before taking this position, David had practiced law in Denver for over 30 years, including a stint as City Attorney under then-mayor John Hickenlooper. David remains active in Denver politics and civic life, including service on the boards of Florence Crittendon Services and the Center for Policy Studies.
Anne Allen
For Anne Allen, being active has always been a very important part of her life. From an early age, Anne participated in many sports, including volleyball, basketball, soccer, and gymnastics. She even played for the USA volleyball team in high school and competed in Germany one summer! Anne grew up in a small town in Texas and was introduced to cycling through her father. She admired that through health difficulties, her father was still able to pursue his cycling. Anne pursued an exercise science degree in college and decided she wanted to go to PT school, but that was put on pause when she became pregnant! Anne did not start cycling herself until a friend reached out and wanted to raise money for juvenile type one diabetes. This cause hit close to home for Anne since her son has the same diagnosis. The two started a cycling team to raise money for the cause, and this is when Anne’s cycling training began. She became a spin instructor, and this quickly became her community. She was soon after introduced to the world of triathlons, half Iron Man’s, and full Iron Man’s. At the same time, she was a personal training coach at a private Christian school in Kerrville.
Always looking to push herself, she discovered her love for hiking, and through this new active avenue, she met her husband, Stan! Stan is from Colorado, so their relationship is what brought Anne to us here in Denver. Together they have hiked many 14ers. Anne has participated in quite a few notable rides, including a mountain biking tour through Iceland, cycling almost 300 miles. Anne also has cycled in Patagonia! Anne was introduced to We Ride 4 through member Todd Lancaster, who is friends with her husband from the Air Force Academy. After moving states, Anne left her cycling community back in Texas, so Todd thought We Ride 4 would be just the perfect fit for Anne to find her cycling community in her new home state! How beautifully synchronous that Anne was drawn to cycling for the same reason that We Ride 4 was created; cycling to give!
Julie Boardman
Julie's love for mountain biking began on the slick rock trails in Moab and pine covered trails in Winter Park / Fraser, CO. Any opportunity to be outdoors and share the outdoors with others is one of her many passions. Currently residing in Tucson, Julie and her cyclist wife, Patti, learned about We Ride 4 through Sharon while living in Denver, CO. Since then, Patti became one of the We Ride 4 sponsors (see the rocket ship logo on our kits), and Julie has joined the Board to help advance the mission.
Julie also brings a 30 year professional background in human resources, organization design, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and leadership development. Now that she's semi retired, she is actually speeding toward new goals that include finding new ways of bringing more people to cycling, giving back to our communities, helping people buy and sell their dream homes in Arizona, and hiking every dog-friendly trial she can.
We Ride 4 is an amazing organization that goes beyond cycling. Giving back to our communities is the key to We Ride 4, and Julie is all in on that mission!