Cyclist of the month: Brian Bothomley
Age: 66
Wheels: rebuilt Trek 8500 – “my urban assault vehicle” and a Trek 6500 with electric assist
Occupation: Bike Ambassador

This biking season marks Brian Bothomley’s seventh year as a Bike Ambassador for Cascade Bicycle Club. In these past years he has seen the bicycle movement grow tremendously and he has helped fuel the movement by getting dozens of people out of their cars and into the saddle.

Armed with knowledge, maps and safety brochures, Cascade Bicycle Club Ambassadors are experienced cyclists who are out in the community inspiring people to ride by informing them about safe riding, commuting options, bike infrastructure and the services that Cascade offers.

“Being a Bike Ambassador suits me,” Brian said. “I like to ride my bike, and I like to talk to people; it’s a perfect match.”

In 2005, less than a year into his early retirement, Brian applied to be a Bike Ambassador. Not because he was bored but rather due to his desire to bike more.

Before his retirement, Brian bike commuted from Ballard to downtown, a 16-mile roundtrip, five days a week for 12 years.

“When I retired, I noticed I wasn’t riding as much anymore,” he said. “Being a bike ambassador allowed me to do more biking. When I started, I was biking three times a week and talking to people all over the city.”

Talking about bicycles comes easy to Brian as bikes have always been a part of his life.

“I was born in ’47 in rural Wales. Bicycles were our mode of transportation,” Brian stated. “I had a paper route with a bicycle and saved up to buy a used Italian 10-speed road bike. That was my first addiction and realization that you don’t have to ask someone for a ride – you can just bike there. I remember taking days off from school and going on rides, exploring the woods.”

Brian briefly diverted his love for bicycling when he discovered motorcycles but it wasn’t long before he came back to bicycling.

In 1972, Brian moved to Oakland, Calif., to be with his wife at the time.

“There, I found an old bike in a dumpster, put it together and started riding to work,” said Brian. “But it wasn’t [yet] an everyday thing.”

After moving to Seattle, Brian rediscovered the joy of exploring the woods by bicycle when he got his first mountain bike in the 1980s. Later, while working at King County Metro, Brian made the switch to full-time bike commuter.

“I participated in Bike to Work Day and discovered, ‘Oh boy, this is the way to go!’” Brian recalled. He bike-commuted every day until he retired in 2004.

“I love the freedom,” said Brian. “There’s no waiting for the bus; you can go your own speed and route; and it’s just fun. It’s like being a kid again every day. When you’re biking, you’ve got a more intimate connection with the world you live in. You register the smells, make contact with people and it makes living more real. It makes me feel more alive.

And for the past seven years, Brian has spread that passion in the community by hosting Energizers Stations, selling helmets and spreading information at farmers markets, health fairs, summer streets events and more.

“I enjoy making a connection with people and being the go-to bike person,” said Brian. “There’s that little spark of interest I see in people. I inform them and then the following year, they’ll tell me how they’ve been commuting twice a week. It feels good to be a major part of the bicycling movement by being part of Cascade.”

Brian said he continues to be inspired by the people he sees when he’s out in the community – from long-distance bike commuters to mothers carrying multiple kids and groceries on a cargo bike.

“They’re not doing it for recognition or anything. It’s just a choice they’ve made and they are completely dedicated to that commitment. I find that inspiring,” said Brian. “It’s amazing to how [the bicycling movement] has grown. And there’s such a mix of people biking, from homeless people to riders on $5,000 road bikes.”

In August 2012, Brian got the biggest scare of his life when he collapsed while biking home. His heart had stopped and he was found unresponsive by a woman who happened to be a nurse and was able to start reviving him.

“She found me slumped over my handlebars, leaning against a wall with a purple face. She started CPR and called an ambulance. I was in the ICU unconscious for three days. My heart just stopped and I had fluid in my lungs. They thought I may not make it through the first night. ” Brian recounted. “The doctors still don’t know what happened exactly. I’ve been a vegan for 20 years and have always lived a healthy, active life.”

“It’s damn scary,” Brian sighed.

Brian is now on medication and has a monitor embedded in his skin.

“It’s all balanced out now. I was briefly off the bike but it’s not stopping me,” stated Brian. “Biking makes me happy.

Know a cyclist who deserves some special recognition? Nominate them for cyclist of the month! Send your ideas to Anne-Marije Rook at amrook@cascadebicycleclub.org.

Cyclist of the month: Lynne Watanabe
Age: 49
Wheels: Specialized Dolce and Specialized Amira
Occupation: Director of Marketing at Krill Systems

Lynne Watanabe is turning 50 this year but she’s feeling younger than she has in years.

“I’m going to be 50 soon but I don’t feel like it. I feel like I’m still in my 30s! Biking keeps me young because it’s fun,” said Lynne, the mother of 17-year-old twins. “Bicycling is just like playing. Everyone should play more, it’s very healthy.”

Last year, Lynne signed up for the Chilly Hilly, her first cycling event in years that so happened to be near her Bainbridge Island home.

“It was kind of snowing, and I had to walk my bike up a few hills. But I did it, and it was my first big cycling event I had done in a long time,” she said.

Lynne first got into biking while attending the University of Colorado in Boulder during the early 80s.

“Everyone in Boulder is super healthy and everyone rode bikes. So I started riding. I learned how to use toe clips, and I rode everywhere. I even rode up to Rocky Mountain National Park,” Lynne recalled.

A “heck of a long time later” – about 20 years – Lynne started riding with Cascade.

“After riding the Chilly Hilly and getting introduced to Cascade, I wanted to do the STP and RSVP also,” Lynne said. So she signed up for the Cascade Training Series and started logging hundreds of miles.

“Biking is like a moving meditation, and it’s such a high!” Lynne said. “I joined the moderate pace training group, rode every weekend and completed the one-day STP, Flying Wheels and RSVP. It was so encouraging; you ride with a group of people every weekend, you become friends and then you do all those events together.”

After riding all those endurance events, Lynne decided she wanted to become a better technical rider and sought out a group that inspires her: women racers.

“I’m not really competitive, I was really just looking to get better and make friends with women that ride and inspire me,” said Lynne. “I had never thought about racing. I danced all my life and unless it was audition, dancing was not competitive. I have never even done a team sport.”

But in October 2012, Lynne made the leap from recreational riding into racing by joining Team Group Health, the largest competitive women’s cycling team in the Pacific Northwest.

She has spent the majority of the winter training with the team but still makes time for Cascade events and Cascade’s Free Daily Rides.

“Al Miller, Jake Wright – the whole [ride leader] gang – they’re so great, I just can’t quit them,” she said.

And after all that riding came passion.

“I felt it was a natural progression to turn to advocacy,” she said. “I want to be an advocate for bicycling, especially for women.”

Lynne attended the National Women’s Bicycling Summit in Long Beach, Calif. in September, returning with a desire to “spread the word about bicycling to women.”

Lynne said she would like to see companies invest in women’s bicycling as women are great influencers of safer streets and healthier families and communities.

“I have kids, I work and I’m committed to Team Group Health, but in the future I’d like to find time to lead rides on Bainbridge Island,” she said.

Later this month, Lynne will be competing in her first ever bike race.

“Yes, I’m nervous about racing but I’m also really excited!” she said.

Good luck, Lynne!

Know a cyclist who deserves some special recognition? Nominate them for cyclist of the month! Send your ideas to Anne-Marije Rook at amrook@cascadebicycleclub.org.

Cyclist of the month: Kris Rhodes
Age: 29
Wheels: Surly Ogre, Surly Steamroller, Raleigh Prestige
Occupation: SDET at Microsoft

While Kris Rhodes identifies himself as “just a guy who rides bikes,” he logs more miles in one week as most people do in months.

An avid bike commuter, Rhodes commutes from Seattle’s Belltown to Microsoft in Redmond – a 62-mile roundtrip the long way, 32-mile if he takes the shortcut across I-90 and through Bellevue – logging an average of 250 to 300 miles a week.

Originally from Perth, West Australia, Rhodes said he started riding to school when he was 8 years old and continued to do so all through high school.

“I rode a bike until I got it stolen. Then I got a car and discovered I like motorcycles,” Rhodes said. “I ending up driving in Uni because I was essentially doing 14-hour-days, and I was strapped for time.”

A job at Windows Phone brought him to Seattle, Wash., in 2008.

“At the time, I was overweight at 220 pounds. I had gotten into a sedentary lifestyle and my job was stressful,” he said.

Driving a rental car, Rhodes found that he spent too much money on gas and parking.

“I hated driving that car,” he said. So he decided to get back into biking.

To meet fellow bicyclists, Rhodes started attending the free Cascade Daily Rides.

“When you move to a new place, you want to meet people so you look at your hobbies. For me that was biking and rock climbing. But I got doored in 2008 and broke the cartilage between my sternum and second rib so climbing is out,” he said. “I met a wonderful ride leader, Scott Kralik, and mainly did the Thursday night rides in the summer. They are slow, easy-paced rides and were a great place for me to start. That was really the start of me riding in Seattle.”

Six months after starting to commute, Rhodes had dropped down to a healthy weight.

“My family has a history of heart attacks, and I needed to do something,” said Rhodes. “I tried the gym but didn’t like it and found that I really enjoy biking. Better health and fitness are just benefits that come with biking.”

To keep track of the wear and tear on his bicycles, Rhodes logs his mileage daily.

Between January 2009 and the time of our interview, Rhodes logged 3,368 hours in the saddle for a total of 50,870 miles!

“That’s why I go through so many bike parts!,” said Rhodes, who has completed the many Cascade rides –including STP, Flying Wheels, Chilly Hilly–on  a fixed-gear bicycle.

Nowadays, Rhodes can most frequently be found riding his Surly Ogre, a 37-pound all-rounder he lovingly calls “tank.”

“This bike is bullet proof. It can go the distance. It can do anything but go fast,” said Rhodes.

Since 2009, Rhodes has been combining his passion for bicycling with raising awareness and fundraising for charity. Last month, he rode the Stinky Spoke in a “Crush Kids’ Cancer” jersey, he logs his miles on EveryMove.org for the Major Taylor Project, and he even once completed a hilly century ride in a full chicken costume.

“That was the 2010 Livestrong event,” Rhodes said. “I was going around raising funds but no one wanted to donate because me riding a bike is nothing special. So I said that if I’d raise $1000, I would wear a chicken suit and do the ride on my fixed-gear.”

The century was a miserably affair with cold temperatures and lots of rain. “People were getting hypothermia and I quickly became a water logged chicken,” recalled Rhodes. “But the cool thing was that the chicken suit worked as a safety mechanism–everyone saw me. I don’t think cars have ever been that aware of me.”

Rhodes raised $1300 for his efforts, and has a souvenir Livestrong backpack to prove it. The chicken suit was later donated to another charity.

“As someone who was a really poor student and who had to give up a lot, I believe that if you can help someone, you really should,” said Rhodes. “I can do it while riding bikes and Microsoft [with their matching program] makes it easy to do.”

While bicycling has rewarded him in many ways, Rhodes said the biggest rewards have to do with people.

“One of the most surprising things that me biking has done is that in 2008, I was the only person at Windows Phone to ride a bike. When I left in 2012, there were lots of bikes in the hallway. I think it’s in part because there was this constant reminder of this guy–this wacko–riding his bike rain or snow,” said Rhodes. “Biking has also opened a few doors. I’ve met some interesting people while riding in to work and got get to pick their brains while riding.”

Rhodes also inspired his father to start biking.

“My dad was overweight and had a second heart attack. He saw his son (me) biking all the time and bought a recumbent. He now bikes a lot, has lost weight and is doing much better,” said Rhodes.

When asked what keeps him riding day in day out, Rhodes’ answer was simple; “Not stopping.”

“It is much harder to stop and start again,” said Rhodes. “If you find something you enjoy, no matter how busy you get, don’t stop what you like doing.”

Know a cyclist who deserves some special recognition? Nominate them for cyclist of the month! Send your ideas to Anne-Marije Rook at amrook@cascadebicycleclub.org.

Cyclist of the month: Quinn Hairston
Age: 33
Wheels: Kona Dew Plus
Occupation: Nanny

In August of 2009, Quinn Hairston, frustrated with bus commuting, bought a bike.

“I was tired of riding the bus. I started biking to get away from people. It was nice to have alone time, and as I started riding, I realized biking was also more convenient,” Hairston said.

She started riding from the Central District to Magnolia, a 16-mile round trip commute.

“It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be. It took me longer at first but then, kind of by accident, I discovered the bike path through downtown,” Hairston said.

Riding 16 miles a day, Hairston quickly discovered the joy of biking and started to ride her bike everywhere she went. She even challenged herself by signing up for the 2010 Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic.

With a little less than a year to train, Hairston started going on long weekend rides and built her fitness up to where she could complete 60 miles in one day. But then she got doored.

“I was hurt for a while but got back on the bike and continued to train,” said Hairston. “Until I got hit.”

Hairston was struck by a car in the crosswalk of the intersection of Stone Way and 34^th Street in Fremont. She suffered from several pinched nerves along her spine, causing pain and numbness in her legs and arms.

“It took me a while to recover and not be in pain while riding,” she said. “I especially had trouble gripping my handlebars for long periods of time. I could no longer go 30 miles, let alone 60 or the 100 that would be required to complete even one day of the STP.”

While she had to give up on completing the STP that year, Hairston did continue to bike commute.

“I had become more hesitant, and I didn’t ride for fun anymore,” Hairston said. “But I was able to stay on smaller roads [for my commute], and it wasn’t as stressful.”

It took four months for Hairston to get her confidence back, and by 2011, she was mostly back to normal, riding her bike to work and for fun.

As though her perseverance hadn’t already been tested enough, Hairston got hit again.

The collisions with cars and the countless times she had experienced close-calls or been yelled at by drivers turned Hairston’s hesitance into anger and frustration.

“I didn’t bike at all last year,” Hairston said. “For the most part because my commute changed. I was now commuting from Northgate to Ballard and the road conditions were horrible. I didn’t feel comfortable.”

Hairston started driving. But after nine months of driving she started to really miss her bike.

“I felt myself becoming a car person, and I don’t want to be a car person!” Hairston said.

Slowly but surely, Hairston started biking again.

“It felt great to be on a bike again,” she said. “And then my bike got stolen. After all my troubles, that was hard. It hurt my feelings. There were three other bikes in the garage but they only took mine.”

This is when Hairston’s friends and family started to point out that maybe the universe was trying to tell her to not bike.

But she keeps going.

“When I got doored, I thought it was just a matter of time for it to happen. When I got hit, I recognized that the danger comes with the activity,” Hairston said. “I really enjoy biking and I wasn’t going to let that take it away from me.”

Hairston admits that if her collisions had resulted in more severe injuries, she might be saying something differently.

“Cars and bikes don’t mix. We need to find a way to get bikes away from cars,” Hairston said. “I lived in Europe and I used to see these bikers without their helmet riding around. They looked adorable and were biking like it’s a fashion statement. I used to think they were crazy but when I started biking, I realized they could do that because they were completely comfortable being separated from cars.”

Hairston said she dreams of a Seattle with bike-only paths and riding around on an xtracycle with kids on the back and carrying cargo.

“I love Seattle, and I love biking. I want those to mesh together,” she said. “I have high hopes for the bike plans in development. People should [be able to] bike to work and not drive, and I love knowing that so many people do bike and that it’s growing.”

Know a cyclist who deserves some special recognition? Nominate them for cyclist of the month! Send your ideas to Anne-Marije Rook at amrook@cascadebicycleclub.org.