This article first appeared as the Cyclist of the Month column in the December 2011 issue of the Cascade Courier , our membership newsletter. Cyclist of the Month: MADI CARLSON Age: 39 Occupation: Stay at home mom Wheels: Bianchi Milano Madi Carlson isn’t afraid of the cold or the rain. And neither is her cargo. All winter long, Madi rides with her kids – Brandt, who’s four-and-a-half years old, and Rijder, who’s just two – strapped into seats mounted to the front and rear of her Celeste Green Bianchi Milano city bike. The bike was a “push present,” given to her by her husband just before Rijder was born. Brandt’s been riding with her since he was a one-year-old, “strong enough to hold his head up.” With Rijder, she started even earlier, towing him in a Burley trailer when he was just eight weeks. Impressed? So was I. I wanted to know: Who is this woman, and how does she do it? What motivates her? The notion that she’s saving our planet from excess CO2 emissions? Or that she’s instilling the value of active transportation in her children? But Madi’s motivations are far from grandiose. “I’m lazy. And I’m incredibly cheap,” she said. “Coming here in a car, I would’ve had to park four blocks away to avoid paying for parking.”
