Pat Atwater: A Colorful Cyclist

My Foodie Friend Jan Norris keeps her eyes open for interesting folks on the road. Here’s Jan’s account of meeting Pat Atwater.

Pat Atwater is the owner of this neon orange bike we saw riding in North Palm Beach this weekend.

It was so bright, it nearly knocked me off the road.

Pat rides about 10 miles a day

Pat, in her 70s, is an avid cyclist and rides 10 or so miles a day in the north end of Palm Beach County — she prefers late afternoon/dusk “when there’s little or no traffic.”

We caught up with her a half block away from her house, but she had been riding around the Intracoastal and down to the marina and bridge just north of her, and then south to make a loop back to her house.

The brightest bike in the store

“I wanted a bike so the drivers could see me. This was the brightest bike I could find in the store.”

She has a bike light, but it’s dim compared to the vibrant orange of this bike. (My son refers to this color as “Mow the Median Vest Orange” — a reference to the neon orange safety vest I used to wear when riding.)

She enhanced her visibility even more by

1. Wearing a neon pink shirt and having strips on her shoes.
2. Painting neon orange on her helmet.
3. The hula lei — a bright orange one — wrapped around her handlebars.

Her son is Florida State Senate President

She’s not the only high visibility family member: her son, Jeff Atwater, is president of the Florida State Senate; her daughter, Enid, works for Palm Beach County’s Convention and Vistor’s Bureau, among other things.

Maybe Mom could put in a good word for cycling with her kids.

[Note: Wife Lila and I are in New Mexico playing tourist for a week. I don’t know if I’ll file anything from out here or if I’ll wait until I get home where I have a few more tools at my disposal. Unfortunately, this is a non-biking trip for me, but I have seen plenty of bikers on the road.]