Hottman has represented over 200 cyclists in their individual cases, as well as provided counsel to other lawyers, to cycling groups, bike shops, and organizations. She has authored countless articles and also co-authored a cycling-law resource book, Bicycle Accidents, Crashes & Collisions: Biomechanical, Engineering, and Legal Aspects (Rev.Ed), (Aug 2016).
In addition to representing her own clients, she has been endorsed as a cycling expert by other lawyers. She is known by Colorado cyclists as well as her fellow attorneys as THE go-to lawyer for anything cycling-related. She provides frequent legal education seminars on biking laws, trends she sees in her cases and those nationwide, and education to both novice and veteran riders alike. She also provides educational and training opportunities to law enforcement officers.
In March 2015 Hottman and her practice were featured in an article titled "Broken Spokes" in Outside Magazine. A few months later, she was also featured on HBO Real Sports, in a "Bike Wars" episode. (Visit her media page HERE for more amazing media coverage!).
In 2019, she led a group of 24 cyclists in breaking the World Record for the Longest Static Cycling class (28 hours!). This record held for years, until it was broken in early 2024.
In 2020, as a small win during the pandemic, Hottman partnered with Senator Mike Foote and wrote the “bike lane bill” which became law that summer. It requires that motorists shall yield to cyclists in the bike lane.
In 2022 Hottman and her co-counsel obtained a Colorado-Record-setting verdict of $353 million dollars in the wrongful death case involving Megan’s friend and former teammate, Gwen Inglis, who was hit and killed while riding her bike in 2021. The trial took place in December 2022, six months after Megan was herself hit and badly injured by a motorist in June, 2022 (while riding her bike). The verdict was amended to $403 million in post-trial motions, and later upheld on appeal.
In 2023, Megan was featured alongside several other remarkable cyclists across the globe in a cycling documentary called The Engine Inside.
Megan Hottman
Megan Hottman earned her B.A. in Corporate Communications, magna cum laude, and her Juris Doctorate, both from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. After law school, she accepted two consecutive judicial clerkships; one in Jackson County Circuit Court in Kansas City, Missouri and one in Jefferson County District Court in Golden, Colorado. As a judicial law clerk, Hottman was responsible for drafting judicial orders, doing legal research for the judges, and serving as bailiff during jury trials. Hottman then joined a firm in Boulder, where she gained valuable experience working on large national-level consumer fraud mass actions, as well as individual personal injury cases.
At the age of 29, she did what people told her was not possible - she hung her own shingle and formed Hottman Law Office (HLO), focusing exclusively on cycling injury cases and cycling advocacy. This practice, she would often say, "is the perfect combination of passion and profession - love of cycling and legal education culminated in this practice; I'm doing what I was meant to do."
For the next year, Hottman ran her practice while simultaneously racing professionally on the road and track -competing in World Cups and racing in 2011 for a new women's pro team, "Primal-MapMyRide." In 2012, she turned her attention to building up her practice, focusing exclusively on cycling law.
A competitive cyclist and cycling enthusiast to "the n-th degree," Hottman places great value and emphasis on leading by example in the cycling community, whether mentoring newbie cyclists, or sponsoring cycling teams and events. Her mantra is "improving lives and communities one cyclist at a time" and it is her own personal mission to get more people riding bikes, especially women.
Over the years, HLO has proudly sponsored several competitive cycling teams and events. HLO’s original HQ in Golden, Colorado (before going 100% remote) was historically the site of many ride departures, clinics, spin classes (with our own studio upstairs!) and training sessions.
Hottman has been racing her bike for over 20 years. A unique fact among racers, Megan has raced almost all cycling disciplines including: road, track, mountain biking and cyclocross (and has competed in 3 of their national championships), plus “gravel worlds” and “fat bike worlds.”
These days, she tackles gravel events, mountain bike races, self-supported bike adventures and bike packing trips, group rides, and commuting in all aspects of her life.
She volunteers as a Level 3 MTB coach for her local high school MTB team and issponsoring/directing yet another cycling team, the Maximum Enthusiasm Squad.
Megan's cycling career highlights include:
'05 Best Amateur, Nature Valley Grand Prix Stage Race
'09 Masters Track National Champion, pursuit
2010 Colorado Best All-round Rider, Road (women Cat 1/2)
'07 & 2010 Colorado State TT champion (women Cat 1/2)
2010 Colorado State Crit Champion (women Cat 1/2)
2010 & 2011 Winner, North Boulder Classic Criterium (Cat 1/2)
2011 Overall Endurance omnium winner, Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic
2014 Colorado Best All-round Rider, Cyclocross (W35+)
2015 Gravel Worlds Female Single Speed Champion
2018 Unbound (DK200), Female Single Speed, 3rd place
2018 & 19 Gravel Worlds, Age Group, 2nd place
2019 World Record holder: longest static cycling class (28 hours)
3x IRONMAN AZ finisher (PR 11:08).
You can read more about Megan at her personal website, MeganHottman.com.