Category Archives: Interviews

Elly Blue: Advocacy, Women and Cycling, and the Shortcomings of Portland

Posted on December 30, 2010 by josh| 3 Comments


Photo by Jim Parsons from cycleandstyle.com

Elly Blue is a bike activist. She also writes a column for Grist, contributes to BikePortland, writes and edits a zine she started called Taking the Lane (the first issue of which I reviewed for PubliCola this summer), went on a nationwide speaking tour, and organizes bike events, meetings, and conferences. She paused for a moment to tell me about her foray into bike activism, some of the barriers women face in cycling (and in life), and why Portland isn’t always the biketopia it’s cracked up to be.

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Tara Alan and Tyler Kellen: Going Slowly Round The World

Posted on December 24, 2010 by josh| Leave a comment


Jetlagged in Glasgow at the very start.

A few years ago, Tyler Kellen had the sort of hair-brained scheme that many cyclists have: set off on a tour around the world. He started asking his then-girlfriend now-wife Tara Alan if she would join him and eventually she said yes. Flash forward to April 2009. The Minnesota duo flew to Scotland and set off on a trip that’s taken them all over Europe, into northern Africa, across Russia, and into South East Asia where they’re currently riding and exploring. Tara and Tyler have thoroughly documented their trip with journals, photography, and audio recordings on their website Going Slowly (to which they link extensively throughout the interview). I spoke to them about the experience of undertaking such an immense journey, their reception abroad, and how a tour like this has influenced their life plans.

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Posted in Bike Touring, Interviews

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Zach McDonald: Cyclocross, Mountain Bikes, and the Future of his Sport

Posted on November 23, 2010 by josh| 5 Comments


Photo by Wil Matthews. Source: Rapha Focus.

Zach McDonald is a cyclocross phenom. The 19-year-old from Bainbridge Island, WA has only been racing for a few years, but already has two national titles, has podiumed at a world cup in Europe, and is racing as a professional for the new Rapha Focus team. I talked to Zach about balancing the demands of life, school, and professional-level racing and his experiences racing in Europe and America.

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Kent Peterson: Issaquah’s Favorite Car-Free, Ultra Long-Distance Racing, Techie-Turned Mechanic

Posted on November 11, 2010 by josh| 13 Comments

Photo via carsstink.org

Kent Peterson gave up a comfortable tech career to pursue bike advocacy and shop work; he and his family have lived car-free for over two decades; he’s written his popular blog for over five years focusing on D.I.Y. mechanics, advocacy, and adventure; he’s an accomplished long-distance cyclist and tourist; and he once held the single speed record for the 2,000+ mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Race. In short, he’s an interesting guy. I spoke with Kent about the state of advocacy, what it is to live car-free in America, attempting to recapture his Tour Divide record, and beating Ira Ryan in an underground race from San Francisco to Portland.

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Posted in Advocacy, Interviews, Mountain Biking

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Craig Etheridge: A World Champ Talks Messengers and SS Cyclocross

Posted on November 5, 2010 by josh| 4 Comments


Craig in his basement bikeshop, Tommy’s.

Seattle bike messenger Craig Etheridge may very well be the nicest guy to ever sit atop a bicycle. He’ll also tear your legs off in a race while simultaneously encouraging you to ride harder and laughing with heckling spectators. Craig is the reigning Cycle Messenger World Champion, made a run at the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championship podium, and routinely tears it up at local cyclocross and mountain bike races. I sat down with Craig in his basement bike shop (inexplicably named Tommy’s bike shop) to talk about the world championships, career messengering, and the growth of single speed cyclocross.

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Posted in Cyclocross, Interviews, Messengers

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