Age: 18
Occupation: student
Hometown:  Seattle
Commute:     3-10 miles round trip between Wedgwood and Nathan Hale High School or North Seattle Community College
Wheels: Razesa cross bike

Thomas Hollowell biked from home to school every day – for four years straight.

An avid hiker and environmental activist, Thomas likes setting goals to make a statement.

At the impressionable age of 14, when many kids stay home playing Xbox, Thomas made a freshman pledge: he would ride to high school every single day (about 180 days per year).

His sophomore year, Thomas coordinated a 10-person team for Bike To School Month. The students rode over 1,500 miles, competing against Nathan Hale teachers.

By his senior year, Thomas was not only notable for running a sub 4:30 mile for the Nathan Hale Raiders. His cycling dedication caught the attention of Nathan Hale’s newspaper, The Sentinel. The paper published a front-page April Fool’s story jesting that Thomas had been caught driving.

When he’s not attending Nathan Hale, Thomas bikes to North Seattle Community College where he’s dual-enrolled in Running Start. The program allows high school juniors and seniors to earn high school and college credit, tuition-free; participants can even receive an Associate of Arts degree from local community colleges. Thomas has already taken college level courses in English, history, math, physics, and political science.

About 100 of Nathan Hale’s 1,100 students participate in Running Start. According to Wikipedia, in 2006-2007, Running Start students made up 8% of Washington State community and technical college full-time equivalent students.

While other students count their text messages, Thomas takes inventory of his four favorite waterproof bags – in bright eye-catching yellow, a color his father encourages him to don. “I love Ortlieb bags – these super durable, waterproof bags that are bombproof. It’s inspiring to see greasy, scratched up Ortliebs from years of riding.”

And although he has probably commuted over 2,000 miles – Thomas still does not own a single pair of padded bike shorts. But that’s not unusual for someone who waited until he was 18 to get his full drivers license. “I really love biking, and I really hate driving.”

Thomas is passionate about Bike To School Month. He envisions inter-school competitions with prizes of free pizza and snap bracelets – $50 ten-speeds in every size for every student. He’d like kids to start biking to grade school.

Ironically, the only time Thomas must drive is to enjoy nature, going hiking or skiing in the Cascades.

Thomas hopes to combine his passion for science and computers to help improve the environment.

This fall, Thomas attends the University of Rochester to study environmental engineering. He’ll run on the school’s Division III Cross Country & Track teams.

And he promises to avoid buying a car for as long as he can. Expect that he’ll keep that promise too.

You can learn more about Running Start at www.k12.wa.us/runningstart/

Scott Marlow was marketing director for Cascade Bicycle Club from 2001-2005. The Club record-holder for the shortest commute (under six seconds, he provides website design and communication services from his home office in West Seattle. Nominate a cyclist of the month!

Age: 53
Occupation: patient service representative, Urology Northwest
Hometown: Longview, WA
Degree: B.A. Business, Washington State University
Wheels: Specialized Ruby Pro

Local cancer survivor finds friends and therapy through bicycling with Cascade Bicycle Club.

Ten years ago, Linda was riding a thirty-pound Novarra cross bike ten miles to Woodinville. She used to wrap her feet in plastic bread bags, and didn’t even carry a water bottle.

Today, Linda is a veteran of some of Washington’s most challenging endurance rides — including RAMROD, RAW, RSVP, and Redmond Rotary’s Red-Spoke.

What’s even more impressive is that Linda trains competitively after surviving breast cancer, and taking care of three kids, including her 24-year old developmentally disabled son, Andrew.

Andrew has tuberous sclerosis (TS) – a rare genetic disease that causes benign (noncancerous) tumors to grow in many parts of the body, such as the brain and kidneys. Tumors can also grow in the nervous system, heart, lungs, or retinas. There’s no cure for tuberous sclerosis, and there’s no way to predict the course or severity of the disease.

So Linda drives Andrew to Bothell, where he takes part in Northwest Child’s adult day program. As a result, Linda often needs to rise before 5:00 a.m. to ride from home or, when the weather is poor, for 5:30 spin classes at the Northshore YMCA. Last year, Linda retired her Cannondale with over 40,000 miles.

Like 60%-90% of people affected with TS, Andrew has seizures. Linda and her husband, Jim, each take turns caring for Andrew so that they can pursue their respective hobbies – hiking, cross country skiing, and other outdoor activities.

The daily rides program first attracted Linda to Cascade Bicycle Club. She discovered her favorite Snohomish route through the weekly MUMPS ride. And to remember great routes like Edmonds’ Olympic View Drive, she saves all of her ride cue sheets.

Linda highly recommends Ralph and Carol Nussbaum’s organized tours; including this month’s sold-out Washington-BC Tour.

In 2001, Andrew’s godfather convinced Linda to ride from Seattle to Portland. Now, Linda’s social life revolves around cycling.

Linda’s pet peeve is cyclists passing unannounced. She has learned to “expect the unexpected,” and appreciates Cascade’s efforts to increase awareness among bicyclists and drivers.

Linda credits her oncology nurse with stoking her passion for cycling. After her chemo therapy, they would share bike stories during Linda’s recovery.

A decade later, Linda happily suffers through any mountain pass. Not too difficult for a cancer survivor who ran the Vancouver Marathon and completed RAMROD to celebrate her upcoming 50^th birthday. Linda enjoys cycling for its social, therapeutic, and fitness qualities. She likes to ride away from traffic in rural areas – like Monroe, Snohomish, Twist, and Winthrop.

And when November brings Northwest rains, Linda often travels to Arizona to ride the Tour de Tucson century. “You can’t train for the heat in Eastern Washington or Arizona, so you need to use sunscreen, go slow, eat, and drink before you are thirsty.” Compared to the 6,000 feet of elevation gain on the Tour de Blast or the 7,500 feet of elevation gain on the High Pass Challenge, the relatively flat Tour de Tucson leaves Linda “feeling like a champion.”

But with all of the challenges that Linda has faced, she should feel like a champion every day.

Learn more about Cascade’s multi-day fully supported regional tours. Scott Marlow was marketing director for Cascade Bicycle Club from 2001-2005. The Club record-holder for the shortest commute (under six seconds), he provides website design and communication services from his home office in West Seattle. Nominate a cyclist of the month!

Blake Trask is not a bicyclist. At least he doesn’t identify himself as one. He has ridden one group cycling event, Chilly Hilly — the longest ride of his lifetime. Blake is a self-identified “policy wonk.”

Fortunately, regional cyclists can thank Blake for his love of Seattle. That’s why he became chair of the twelve-member Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board.

“I want my kids to be able to bike to school. I want the Ballard Bridge retrofitted for bikes. I want downtown to have the same dedicated cycle tracks that are in Manhattan…”

John Mauro, Cascade’s commute director, credits Blake with helping to create a more bikable community. “Blake has dedicated huge amounts of his personal time to promote urban cycling.”

Although Blake sometimes finds himself riding to work alongside Mayor McGinn, he cannot tell you much about his bike gear. He likes the versatility of his Surly Cross Check for running errands and picking up groceries. He thinks he owns Planet Bike lights, but he cannot be sure.

But he is sure that driving cars and their brake pad debris and oil leaks contribute to the degradation of Puget Sound. Any transportation advocate would agree that biking is a silver bullet for environmental, health, and fiscal policy issues.

Blake is passionate about building Seattle’s capacity for bicycling. He wants to make Seattle a more livable city — the best city in the nation for walking and biking. To do that, he and members of the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board actively support the mayor and city council to find funding for the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan, which is currently 70% underfunded.

The majority of the Master Plan’s funding comes from the nine-year Bridging the Gap levy, passed in 2006. Last year, the Plan received about $8 million, but more than $24 million is needed annually.

“There’s a myth that cars pay their fair share for roads, but much of the money comes from property taxes and other funding sources. We need to improve how we use our roads so they work for everyone – cars, freight, transit, walkers and bicycles. There’s lots of excess capacity on our roads; let’s make roads accessible for everyone — not just one mode of transportation.”

Recently, Blake has been inspired by Michelle Obama’s work to reduce childhood obesity by promoting active transportation. The Let’s Move! Campaign attempts to reduce the childhood obesity rate to 5% within a generation (by 2030).

If safer streets and getting your kids walking and biking to school are important to you, Blake recommends that you contact your city council members and mayor and ask for more funding.

Blake joined Cascade to support its great public outreach, education, and advocacy efforts.

The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board meets from 6:00 – 8:00 pm on the first Wednesday of the month at City Hall (600 4^th Ave, L280). Seattle residents serve for up to two-year terms, advising the city on the concerns and needs of the bicycling community. Meetings are open to the public. To learn more, visit www.seattle.gov/sbab/

Download 70 specific recommendations of the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity at www.letsmove.gov/taskforce_childhoodobesityrpt.html

Scott Marlow was marketing director for Cascade Bicycle Club from 2001-2005. The Club record-holder for the shortest commute (under six seconds), Marlow works from his home office in West Seattle. Nominate a cyclist of the month!

Patty Kirkland

Age: 45
Occupation: Desktop Support Specialist, F5
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Degree: Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Buffalo
Commute: 12 miles round trip from Fremont to downtown Seattle
Wheels: Giant Trace X2, Kona Dew Drop, Pacific Reach travel, Rodriguez Stellar and S3

With 12 internal teams, F5 consistently leads the Group Health Commute Challenge. The cheerleader for 200 F5 bike commuters is four-time Team Captain Patty Kirkland.

During Bike Month, F5′s Bagel Fridays are incentive for some employees to commute by bike; and the free F5 cycling jersey issued to Team participants also inspires many new bicycle commuters. But it was the company’s stipend ($1,200 to $3,600 per year) that motivated Patty to leave her car behind.

“It’s fun. I look forward to getting up in the morning. I don’t have to deal with traffic. I see the sunrise. I get a workout. And, on the way home, I enjoy a tour of neighborhoods.”

F5 treats cyclists generously – furnishing lockers, showers, and secure, attended, and covered bike parking. Towel service is even available. An internal cycling email list connects dozens of cyclists with experienced peers who answer questions about gear, routes, and training.

Employees may opt to use a pre-tax spending account to fund sustainable transportation options like train, bus, and ferry fares. And, if an employee needs emergency transportation home when using alternative transportation, F5 will pay for it—part of F5′s Home Free program.

Patty started bike commuting ten years ago. With five bikes at home, Patty could commute on a different frame daily. Instead, she rides her Kona Dew Drop six miles from Fremont through Fisherman’s Terminal to Magnolia. Rain or shine, her favorite accessory is a pair of orange waterproof Ortlieb panniers.

After participating in Cascade’s Bike Business Forum in 2009, Patty and fellow F5 employee Craig Hovey developed a 1.5-hour Commute 101 class. The brown-bag lunch discusses safe biking practices, routes, and rules of the road. Then, bike buddies are coordinated for employees still nervous about cycling on the road.

At the end of the Commute Challenge, F5 recognizes its teams with the most mileage, the most trips, and the most new commuters.

Bike commuting is not just practical and fun; for Patty, it also helps her maintain a solid fitness base for competing in triathlons. Not just sprint distance events, but Half-Ironmans: a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13-mile run.

Riding a super lightweight Rodgriguez S3, Patty has completed the Grand Columbian Tri, and Barb’s Race — the only all-women’s Half-Ironman triathlon in the world – raising money to support women facing a cancer diagnosis.

As a four-time Danskin Triathlon finisher, Patty also added Head Mentor to her accomplishments. Last summer, Patty worked with 39 other Seattle mentors who coach groups of 25-30 participants. They provided group training, bike safety and transition clinics throughout the tri season. Patty likes the Danskin Tri because it encourages participation by women of all shapes, sizes, and abilities.

For anyone interested in attempting their first triathlon, Patty recommends joining a team, and doing one leg of the race. Otherwise, if you want to compete solo, you’ll need to train on your weakest activity, which for Patty was running.

Patty joined Cascade Bicycle Club so she could register early for events – particularly her favorite, RSVP. “I like that my membership supports advocacy and local community building for bicyclists.”

In her spare time, Patty enjoys riding her Rodriguez women’s-specific Stellar around the Olympic Peninsula’s rural, quiet roads – like the North Shore near Hood Canal. “The roads are well-signed and drivers are considerate. Mason County is really under-utilized by cyclists and the riding is gorgeous.”

“I also find lots of mountain bike opportunities at www.kitsapmtb.com. Banner Forest in Port Orchard is a great destination with fun trails and obstacles, and moderate elevation. And you can ride to the trails from the Southworth ferry.”

This July, Patty competes in the U.S. Women’s Triathlon Series in Federal Way to benefit Ovarian cancer research. She also looks forward to a self-guided bike tour of County Kerry, where she’ll practice her Irish jig (just for fun, of course).

Learn more about the US women’s triathlon series, Barb’s Race, and the Grand Columbian Tri. To learn more about best practices for bike commuting in your workplace, contact John Mauro about the Bike Business Forum.

Scott Marlow was marketing director for Cascade Bicycle Club from 2001-2005. The Club record-holder for the shortest commute (under six seconds), Marlow works from his home office in West Seattle. Nominate a cyclist of the month!