TRISTAN PRETTYMAN

25-mile loop up the coast
to grab a beer, so I started
joining them. My boyfriend
[singer- songwriter Jason
Mraz] lives a 40-minute car
ride away, so I’ll bike toward
his house and he’ll pick me up
at Jitters, our friend Vallie’s
coffee shop. She does a mean
breakfast.
Any chance you’ll convince
Jason to get a bike?
Actually, he really wants one.
He wants to do a triathlon.
The other week, we kept saying
we’d go get a bike if the
surf was flat. But the waves
were really good.
How does catching a wave
compare with cycling?
I’ve been surfing for a long
time, so in the water, my
brain goes on autopilot.
Biking requires way more
focus. I’m amazed by all the
things I wouldn’t have seen if
I had been driving.
You went to New Orleans
to help out after the BP oil
spill. Did the trip inspire
you to ride more?
You know, it’s really easy to
say “no oil,” and stuff like that
but I met guys who had been
working in oil for 20 years;
the industry was all they had.
It’s going to be a challenge for
everyone on this planet to
not use oil. But riding a bike
on errands and on short trips
is a step in the right direction.
Anything else we should
know about your bike?
When I get on my bike after a
couple of days without riding,
I can’t believe how much I
missed it. I want to scream,
“I love you, bike! Why don’t
I sleep next to you?” Biking
equals freedom. It makes you
realize how little you need to
travel.—Colleen Leahey