This article is the eighth in a series profiling the varied and amazing nominees for the 2009 Alice B. Toeclips Awards, which will be presented to five winners at the Alice Awards & Auction on March 7th. You can also read the list of nominees online. This profile was written by BTA correspondent Margaux Mennesson.
Joanne Pullen is addicted to her bike. A wife and mother of two grown children, Joanne bike commutes to work every day, rides recreationally with her husband on weekends, and participates in Portland bike events like the Urban Assault Ride. Health and environmental advantages are just added benefits; Joanne rides simply because she adores bicycling.
Joanne began commuting to work four years ago when her office participated in the Bike Commute Challenge. She and her husband David had recently purchased bikes from the Community Cycling Center after visiting the town of Sunriver in Central Oregon, a resort village with a dense network of bike paths. When the month was up she continued to bike a few times a week from her home in northeast Portland to her office near Legacy Emmanuel hospital on Interstate Avenue. Soon, she was biking every day throughout the spring, summer and fall, and now bikes year-round. For the past year she has ridden every day, with the exception of two weeks in December when Portland was under a foot of snow.
Her husband David explains, “Joanne has given myself and others the inspiration to ride wherever we go. We have driven our two vehicles less than 6000 miles this year combined! She is my inspiration.”
So what inspires Joanne? In addition to her love for bicycling, she is motivated by an encouraging husband and friendly work environment. Her Kaiser Permanente office provides secure, indoor bike parking as well as shower and changing facilities. Though she is the only full-time bike commuter in the office, her colleagues are supportive and don’t mind if Joanne stores her bike right inside the office.
It’s clear, though, that much of what Joanne loves about bike commuting is not quantifiable. Asked to describe her commute, Joanne didn’t mention the distance (six miles each way), time (five thirty am) or terrain (hills in both directions). Instead, she described her morning commute as the time to prepare herself mentally for the day ahead and appreciate the positive elements of life: her family, career, and the opportunity to live in a city like Portland. “On clear mornings in May and June I see the most incredible sunrises as I approach the river,” she said.
Bicycling has become such an integral part of her day that she is reluctant to leave her bike at the neighborhood repair shop even for a few days. When the temperature falls below freezing her brakes are unreliable, but she is putting off maintenance until she and David go on a ski trip this spring.
At the end of our conversation I mentioned that I couldn’t wait to tell Joanne’s story to my own mother, who is receptive to the idea of bike commuting but concerned about weather conditions and the hills in her southwest Portland neighborhood. “Just tell her try it, and to start slowly,” Joanne said. “She’ll realize how easy and fun it is.”
“And if she isn’t bike commuting by September, give me her email address and I’ll send her a challenge.”
