Katherine Olney
kathy olney
The Ride, Issue 117
Nope. Kathy Olney pedaled through these scenes during a college term spent abroad in France. "It was my first real conversion into a biker," she remembered. "The host family I was staying with lived about 10km from where I took classes, so every day I rode a borrowed bike through these stunning landscapes," she said. "The father of the family was a member of the local cycling club, and he took me on rides through the Provencal countryside." This francophone interlude took place after a childhood spent tooling around on a brown 3-speed Raleigh and before two years spent at university in England, where everyone from students to townspeople rode bikes as transportation. Positively influenced by European habits, Olney has commuted regularly since 1988. At first traveling little more than a few miles from apartment to office in Newton, Mass., Olney described her early commuter identity as a "fair-weather rider." Finding fewer reasons to use her car, she commuted the nearly seven miles to Newton Corner nearly every day after moving to Davis Square in Somerville. Relocating next to Watertown, this Waltham, Mass. native commuted to work almost every day, come rain or snow, even after her software development position moved to more distant downtown Boston. "I prefer the 10-mile bike ride to public transportation," she added. "And after years of being a suburban commuter, I really enjoy riding in downtown Boston!" Riding east-west along the Charles River, Olney has enjoyed some peaceful early morning rides, particularly in the spring and fall during the change of seasons. "Once a heron flew along right next to me as I was riding along the river," she related. On her old Cannondale road bike with a fixed gear hub, Olney is prepared for bad weather as she can brake even when the rims are wet or icy. Not a fan of slippery routes, the arrival of warmer weather in 2003 brought more pleasure than usual to this mother to be. "I was glad when spring came because I couldn't fit into tights anymore," she laughed. "By the seventh and eighth months, I couldn't make it the whole way without stopping to pee!" Now staying home with her first child, Olney plans to take her son out in a bike trailer this summer, and looks forward to running local errands by bike again. Meanwhile, the family has moved to a town closer to her husband's job so at least one of them can commute by bike. "Here in the US, people seem to think that you need to be some kind of expert to ride a bike. Even people who ride recreationally can't envision their high-tech bikes as a simple mode of transportation." A member of MassBike and NEMBA, this 40-year-old suspects several factors dissuade people from using their bicycles for transportation. "One easy answer is that people tend to live far from where they work. And I can see how a less skilled rider could be very intimidated in traffic. But bike commuting doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing commitment," she added. "Although it is easier if you do it regularly. Even if you only ride one day a week, you are still using your car 20 percent less." Even driving that little bit less helps. Olney remembers one day during a heat wave when she rode to work and a co-worker said: "You rode today? There's a smog alert on!" "I replied, 'You drove today? That's WHY there's a smog alert on!'" | more supercommuters » BikeCulture Magazine and Planet Bike honor the silent hero of the Revolution: the bicycle commuter. A supercommuter rides through every season, in all types of weather, day and night. Choosing the simplicity, health and pleasure of bicycling, a supercommuter isn't necessarily against automobiles. They simply prefer to ride a bike to the grocery store, to work, to a concert or the cafe. nominate a supercommuter » For each issue BikeCulture chooses a new Supercommuter. They are posted here in addition to BikeCulture Magazine. |
