Help Your Neighbors Get Rid of Puncture Vines and Keep Bikes Safe

Greg Skomp, aka Goathead Greg, is a trowel-weiding, bicycle-loving, non-cape-wearing local superhero. Epically profiled by Denverite last week, Skomp shared his mission to rid Denver bike paths of pokey, prickly, tire-flattening goatheads one shovelful at a time.

Denverite reporter Kyle Harris writes that this year alone Skomp has collected 427.5 pounds of puncture vine (the plant that produces goatheads) from local trails, including the Sand Creek Greenway, the Highline Canal Trail, the South Platte River Trail, and the Cherry Creek Trail.

Skomp says that the city was unresponsive to his complaints about the prickly nuisance, which is why he took things into his own hands — but he could really use a few extra pairs.

So if you see a kind-looking gentleman on your neighborhood trail with a low ponytail and a garbage bag full of vines, it’s probably Goathead Greg — tell him thank you! Or better yet, grab a shovel and contribute to the cause 🌱🚫 Be like Goathead Greg.