I’d like to introduce Courier readers to Alexis Greenwood, public librarian, carnival band performer and one of the most positive cycling forces that I know. If you’ve ever seen a rider with a brightly coloured wig streaming out from under her helmet, wearing a costume that glitters in the sun and a smile a mile wide, it’s likely that you’ve seen Alexis.
Age: 50
Bike: Diamond Back Ambition
Time on this bike: 22 years
Favourite ride overall: I've been to Charleston, S.C. three times and every time we stayed at a B&B that had bicycles. Riding around Charleston in the warmth of the late evening looking at the architecture, hearing nightingales sing, with the scent of jasmine and lilac filling the air is the best ride I've experienced.
Favourite Vancouver bike route: Union Street through Strathcona
Quote: Riding a bike every day gives me a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm for life.
Happy horner
Alexis began commuting to work around five years ago, and three years ago she took the step of selling her car and making her bike her only method of transportation. As a performer in two local bands, this meant working out how to transport her two horns to practices and performances. Her answer was to purchase an old set of panniers, remove the hardware and drill it into the cornet case, which now hooks smoothly onto her bike rack — a perfect solution that only took 10 minutes to put in place.
“I can’t imagine not riding my bike every day. I’m usually wearing an outrageous costume, which guarantees that car drivers see me. Riding a bike is so much easier and less stressful than taking a bus or driving a car in Vancouver.
When I arrive at my destination I am much happier when I get there by bike. Sharing the experience of a bike ride with someone else is wonderful, especially if you’ve been instrumental in getting them on a bike. I also really like cycling on my own and I relish the feeling of the wind on my skin. I often sing while biking alone.”
Austin limits
I asked Alexis to share a couple of stories of the most fun and rewarding things that she’s done on a bike. She told me about a time when she was riding to a performance in Austin, Texas, and realized that the 70-year-old band leader wasn’t going to make it up the hill. “I rode up right next to him and pushed him up the hill while wearing a wig, corset and tutu, and carrying a trumpet in 40 degree weather. It helped that he had lived in Amsterdam and was used to having someone ride really close.”
Take a stand
She’s also keen to keep trying new things on the bike. “For about a year I’ve been practising getting up to a good speed and then standing on my bike seat while holding onto my handlebars. It’s best on a slight decline. On the New Westminster bike path there’s a perfect spot that runs for quite a while — long enough that my arms and legs started to get tired. I realized it was actually a bit steep when I had to keep the brakes on the entire time, which turned out to be more difficult than I had imagined.”
Free ride
One of the things about Alexis that stands out the most is that she’s always smiling on her bike, even on the wettest, coldest winter days. She explains: “The sense of freedom I feel when I ride a bike makes me smile, even in the rain or snow. Also, I really want the bus riders and car drivers to think about what in the world I have to smile about and possibly consider their own transportation choices.”
Alexis is one of my inspirations on a bike a reminder that being on two wheels is a constant source of joy.
