Merlin Rainwater - Riding and Thriving at 75

Have you ever looked up directions to a doctor’s appointment, conference, or event and found yourself frustrated that they only provide driving directions? As an avid cyclist, this annoys the hell out of me, especially when it’s often at locations that are easily accessed by public transport or bike! 

Well, thankfully for all of us, there are people in the world like Merlin Rainwater, my Mover and Shaker Feature today who just  isn’t satisfied with frustration and annoyance - she makes change happen.

Calling herself “The Transportation Nag”, Merlin Rainwater has been instrumental in getting Seattle landmark institutions such as Woodland Park Zoo, Bell Harbor Conference Center, Kaiser Permanente hospital on 15th (formerly Group Health)and downtown Nordstrom’s & Macy’s to rethink their transportation plans to pay attention to transit, bicycles and walking.  

Merlin is also a changemaker in the Seattle bike world, leading an inclusive group ride called S.L.O.W., which stands for Senior Ladies on Wheels (but is open to all ages and genders.) While this ride has taken a bit of a pause during COVID, Merlin invites all to join her for next ride on Saturday October 16th for a Bonus Blocks Bike Ride to Wa Na Waris WALK the BLOCK Festival and Fundraiser. 

Merlin, 75,  was born and raised in Seattle. She’s lived in many neighborhoods all over the city, calling the Central District home since 1980. Merlin grew up riding bikes with her brother, riding to the corner store for snacks, to school, and for adventures. As she got older, Merlin spent a year abroad for an exchange program in Germany in West Berlin, where she was first exposed to European bike culture. It was there she said that she realized she didn’t “have to buy into car culture.”

Her favorite place to ride is in Seattle, even though she’s ridden in cities all over! Merlin loves finding the most comfortable, least hilly way to get around the city, which if you’ve ever ridden around Seattle, is definitely a challenge! 

I asked Merlin her best advice for encouraging other older, new or hesitant riders and she laughed and said, “Well, I want to say ‘Just do it’, but I know that’s not realistic.” Instead, she recommends finding a wide open area (like an empty parking lot) as opposed to a narrow trail to practice your balance and get comfortable riding. Once you’re feeling confident, Merlin recommends finding a group of like-minded people to ride with (such as her S.L.O.W. Group Ride) and really riding at your own pace and style! 

Merlin - you’re truly inspirational and I hope at 75 I’m still smiling, riding as cool of a bike as you, and leading group rides. Thank you for all you’ve done for cycling in Seattle. 

Marley's Movers and Shakers - Ebbe Silva Founder of XL Biking

How did we meet people before Instagram? Don’t answer, as obviously we were all fine before social media. Some would even say better. But one thing is for certain - I definitely wouldn’t have friends in Sweden, Germany, Mexico, Hong Kong, and everywhere in between if we didn’t have that silly little photo sharing app to connect us.

Turns out, through sharing my life I’ve met some really amazing people all across the globe, many of whom share my love of riding bikes. There’s even a couple of us out there who are both fat and ride bikes and are doing the same kind of work to help make the industry more welcoming, inclusive and friendly to fat folks.

Today’s Mover and Shaker is one of those people I’ve been so lucky to connect with via the internet. Ebbe Silva comes to us from Sweden, where he’s the founder of XL Biking, a community bike group based in Sweden.

I am pleased to introduce Ebbe Silva as today’s Monday Mover and Shaker!

Marley's Movers and Shakers - Introducing Yes Segura!

COVID has been a funny time (in the most not-actually-funny way possible.) I’ve been working from home since late February but have managed to be more involved in the bike world, meet more new people and I think ride my bike more miles than I would in a regular year. I think the pandemic has made me shift perspective and spend time doing the things I really love, which surprising no one is biking, talking about bikes and equitable transportation, and learning about rad work other folks are doing in this area.

It was during the latter that I first learned about today’s Mover and Shaker, Yes Segura. We were both attending “Black in the Saddle” a livestreamed round table discussion about the Black Cycling experience. I noticed Yes’ comments in the chat and was immediately intrigued. I reached out to get to know him and am so happy I did.

Yes is a true Mover and Shaker in every sense of the word. He is the Chair of YPT Seattle, active in Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Whose Streets? program, runs his own consulting business, and is the Director of Communications for YPT International. Pretty damn impressive.

Without further ado, Let’s Get to Know Yes Segura!

Marley's Movers and Shakers - Featuring Lael Wilcox

I am so excited about today’s Mover and Shaker! She is somebody who I’ve looked up to in the biking world since the first time I heard of her and to have the opportunity to interview her and feature her on my blog feels like a dream come true. I’m over the moon to introduce you all to the one and only Lael Wilcox!

Lael in Ketichkan, summer 2020. Photo credit to @rugilekaladyte

Lael is an ultra-endurance bicycle racer who is known for her incredible feats on the Tour Divide, Trans Am Bike Race and the development of the Baja Divide Route. She’s also done incredible work to develop bicycling through scholarships, route development, mentorships, and fighting sexism and discrimination. Lael is a seriously inspiring human - I’d seriously recommend checking out her work.

A great place to start to get to know her (beyond this short interview) is her 2019 film, “I Just Want to Ride”, which chronicled her 2019 ride on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

While I haven’t yet gotten the chance to meet Lael in person, I feel fortunate that we share a passion for adventures on bicycles (even though we might go at very different speeds) and getting more girls onto bikes. I’m so honored that she agreed to be part of this series and to see it grow!

Get to know Lael Wilcox

Photo credit to Rue Kaladyte

Marley's Movers and Shakers - Getting to Know Anna Brones

Anna Brones is hands-down one of the most creative people I’ve been lucky to meet. Anna is an author, artist, amazing cook and cyclist.

I met Anna a few years ago on a bike tour with the Komorebi bike team, when we rode the Olympic Adventure Route and explored the Olympic Hot Springs. Anna was our head chef for nearly that entire trip, planning our meals, homemaking all the bread and snacks and keeping a crew of six well fed. (You can many of those recipes in her book “The Culinary Cyclist" - definitely recommend checking it out.)

Anna is always working on something - she just finished a two year long art project called “Women’s Wisdom Project” Anna explains “Women’s Wisdom Project is a collection of portraits and profiles that I started in 2018. The goal was the showcase the wisdom of inspiring, insightful women by making 100 papercut portraits. Each portrait is hand cut from a single piece of paper.”

All 100 pieces were up in a show for 5 days before it was shut down for COVID. Anna is currently selling many of the portraits, with 50% of the proceeds going to different non-profit groups. Find out more at her website.

I’m so excited for all of you to get to know my friend Anna Brones a little bit better this week. I hope you’ll check out her books, her art, and all the cool work she’s doing!

Marley's Movers and Shakers - Get to Know Courtney Cobbs

I’m so excited to introduce you to today’s Mover and Shaker, Courtney Cobbs! Courtney is the Assistant Editor for Streetsblog Chicago and is a Transit and Bicycle Visionary. She is so inspiring in her everyday activism and her joy on her new bike is infectious!

Marley's Movers and Shakers - Five Questions with Roxy Robles

I met Roxy Robles last summer in King Street Station. We were catching the train to start a bike tour, from Eugene to Portland through the heart of Oregon wine country. This trip, affectionately named “You Don’t Pinot Me - Riding Through the Cuntry” - in reference to the wine focused nature and WTF makeup of our group turned out to be a great way to start a friendship. Roxy and I bonded over our shared love of steel bikes, skinny dipping and face masks while bike camping.

Since that trip last summer, Roxy has been on a roll in the Seattle bike community. She authored and led the ‘SPLAIN’ survey of Seattle-area bike shops, which rated how comfortable women, trans, femme and gender nonconforming people feel there.

Roxy also taught an Intro to Bike Touring Class at Seattle Central College and most recently, wrote an e-book, Introduction to Bike Touring.

I’m so honored to call Roxy one of my friends and am proud to introduce her here as one of my Marley’s Movers and Shakers.

Marley's Movers & Shakers - A New Weekly Series!

I’m really excited to show you all my next big project that will be going live, starting tomorrow!! You all know plenty about me and my adventures - it’s time to turn the tables and shine light on other people doing awesome things in the bike world! Sure, I’ll still give you updates on fun adventures in my world, but I’m really excited to turn the spotlight the other way for a bit.

I’ve got 10 or so interviews lined up so far, but am always open to more. If you’ve got someone who you think would be a good fit to be featured in my “Marley’s Movers and Shakers” posts, send them my way!