I Bike: Suzanne Skinner

Suzanne astride "the Precious" with thanks to Bill Davidson.

Suzanne Skinner of Mercer Island began biking to work several years ago when her then employer, the City of Seattle, provided showers and a locker room that made transitioning from bike garb to professional wear a breeze.

She loved her bike commute because it felt long enough to be a work out and provided her with the training she needed to enjoy longer weekend recreational rides.  Her 50 minute commute helped Suzanne focus on the coming day in the morning and de-stress and regroup for whatever the family had in store for her in the evening.  What Suzanne didn't expect was all the great people she met enroute.  Biking opened her eyes to the delightful neighbors she had overlooked when she drove or bussed to work.

"One morning I met an armed camp of elderly and incredibly fit Cantonese wielding drawn sabres while practicing tai chi along the bike path on the Mercer Island lid," she recalled.  After responding with a startled "jo san" (good morning) to them, the group proudly demonstrated some of their best maneuvers for her.

On another early morning bike commute, Suzanne encountered "two lovely women madly hula hooping along the side of West Mercer Way."  She stopped and received an impromptu hula hooping lesson that morning.

"One never gets to hula hoop on the way to work when one relies on a motor vehicle," said Suzanne.  "Biking opens up new worlds and makes you laugh a bit more!"

Tell us your story!  I Bike is a project of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington to put a personal face on bicycling when we talk to elected officials and the public.  Contact Louise McGrody if you'd like to share your I Bike story with us.