Janet Lafleur Rides The Dream

This originally appeared in the Summer 2015 print issue of Southern California Bicyclist.

Janet Lafleur a 51-year-old marketing consultant from Mountain View, California, had been cycling seriously for fifteen years when she realized that it was time to do something to make her community’s streets better for cycling. As a recreational cyclist, Lafleur had done countless organized century rides, multi-day rides, and races. However, it wasn’t until she started riding to work every day that she observed the lack of safe and comfortable ways to get there. She decided to voice her experiences and frustration with bicycle infrastructure and in 2009 she joined her local coalition, The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.

Lafleur also started a blog called “One Woman, Many Bikes,” which combines fashion and lifestyle with bicycle advocacy. Through her blog, she organizes group rides and has dozens of posts on bicycle infrastructure including a great “Bike Lane FAIL” feature that highlights bike lane mistakes in her community. For the past year, Lafleur has been on the Board of Directors of the California Bicycle Coalition, a statewide organization that works to get more Californians riding bicycles.

Last year, Lafleur contributed her cycling skills in the California Bicycle Coalition’s annual fundraising ride, The California Dream Ride. This tour traverses some of the best bike routes in Southern California, including 10 to 15 mile stretches that follow gorgeous coastal paths completely separated from car traffic. That year she met some great people who share her passion for advocacy and making California a better place to ride. For Lafleur, cycling “…is social,” she says, “and one thing that’s great about this ride is that you get to see great infrastructure and meet people who are working to make their communities better for cycling.” We look forward to seeing “Lady Fleur” at the tour. [icon id=”fa fa-heart”] [icon id=”fa fa-bicycle”]

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