Q&A by Chloe Rask

Annaleise Girone is completing her third year at the University of Oregon with a major in Psychology. Girone has competed on the University of Oregon club cycling team for two years and has participated in triathlons for years. Girone has embraced and promoted developing bike culture in Eugene.

How long have you been riding bikes?

Pretty much my whole life— I’ve been riding cruisers and stuff around my town since I was three. My dad has always been really into mountain biking so when I was little I made it a goal to learn how to mountain bike with him when we went camping together. So I would just keep setting these goals for myself because when I got good enough at riding a certain kind of bike I was allowed to have my own. So yeah, the rest is history.

How does bike culture in Eugene compare to bike culture where you grew up?

Well, it’s hard to answer because there are so many sub-cultures within that term. There are commuters, there’s “roadies,” there are mountain bikers and all sorts of stuff like that. But, definitely there are a lot of “roadies” where I live and I’ve found that in Eugene the ones that are here are a lot hipper and it’s more of a popular lifestyle here. At home people are more chill and laid-back about biking but in Eugene it’s super competitive and there’s more of an expectation for how cyclers look here.

Do you find that biking to and from places is easier here? Or about the same as other places?

Oh yeah, it’s incredibly easier here. Even though I’m from a small town where it’s super convenient to get around, there aren’t any bike lanes or any changes in the road at all that would make cycling easier. And even in some of the other cities I’ve lived in on the east coast there might be some bike lanes but the climate and the weather are just not pleasant to bike anywhere in. I think it’s very bike friendly here.

What is your favorite way to cycle? Competitively? Recreationally? For convenience?

For me it really depends on what mood I’m in. I love that in Oregon I can just get lost in exploring for hours and you can cover so much distance on a bike versus hiking or running. So I love getting to be on my own and finding new places. But, competitive cycling is also one of my greatest passions, and while I like training for races I really feel most comfortable when I’m on my own with my bike discovering little secret trails in Oregon.