In Boulder, cycling is more than a pastime. It is part of the rhythm of the city, a way people move through the landscape, challenge themselves, and connect with one another. Michelle and Zach Lee understood that long before Simple Cycling Maps became their full-time work. They recognized that even in a place so shaped by riding, the information available did not always reflect the experience of being on a bike. Routes could be hard to read, difficult to compare, and even harder to imagine before heading out. Simple Cycling Maps grew from that gap, pairing local knowledge with design to create something more intuitive, more useful, and more rooted in the cycling community itself.
The project began in 2014 when Zach started working on it during his free time while both he and Michelle were freelancing as designers. Part of the appeal was creative freedom. They wanted to make something outside the usual constraints of budgets, schedules, and preferences. Zach, whose background is in environmental graphic design and wayfinding, immediately connected with the idea of making route information easier to understand. After two years of development, the first edition came out in 2016.
The concept also grew out of personal experience. Michelle recalled an early ride to Ward, where she did not know what was coming and found herself overwhelmed by the climb. That experience helped shape one of the company's defining features, a color-coded system, inspired in part by ski maps, that helps riders understand difficulty, distance, and what to expect before they commit to a route. The goal was not to replace existing county bike maps, which already contained plenty of information, but to make that information easier to use.
Still, turning that idea into a working map was complicated. Zach was inspired by transit systems like the London Underground and the New York subway map, but road riding requires more context. Cyclists need enough detail to make decisions at intersections and understand how one segment connects to the next. Early versions were too simple, and building the Boulder System Map became an iterative process. Even now, Zach describes it as something they continue to tend “like a garden,” always adjusting and refining.
That refinement is shaped by community as much as design. Because the Lees know Boulder well, Michelle has lived here for about 30 years, and Zach for roughly 25, giving them a strong local foundation. But they also built the maps by talking with friends, visiting bike shops, and inviting feedback from other cyclists. That process helps define what makes their work different from city-produced maps. Rather than inventorying every possible road or bike lane, Simple Cycling Maps is intentionally selective. Their maps are meant to show riders the best roads to take and sometimes the ones to avoid, in the same spirit in which cyclists share route advice.
That selectiveness has also helped make the maps appealing beyond the ride itself. Designed to be both useful and visually strong, they function as route guides, keepsakes, and wall pieces all at once. Michelle noted that customers often buy them as gifts or display them at home, treating them as both practical tools and beautiful visual pieces.
Now the business is entering a new phase. As of January 1, Michelle and Zach are working on Simple Cycling Maps full-time. What started as a side project has expanded into custom mapping and wayfinding work for cities, developers, and recreation organizations. Recent projects include Virginia Canyon Mountain Park in Idaho Springs, a new bike walk map for Golden, and a refresh of signage and wayfinding for Valmont Bike Park in Boulder. They have also begun adapting to broader demand by incorporating hikers and runners into some of their newer maps.
Even with that growth, the heart of the business remains the same. Michelle and Zach still approach mapping as both a design challenge and a way to help people feel more connected to where they ride. In Boulder, where cycling is part of the city's culture and community, that approach feels especially fitting. Their maps do more than show people where to go. They help riders understand the roads around them, ride with more confidence, and take part more fully in the shared experience that makes Boulder such a strong cycling community.
To learn more about Simple Cycling Maps, visit SimpleCyclingMaps.com.