Member Spotlight: Lisa Hansen
Recently, Lisa Hansen graciously took time away from her cycling to meet me for coffee and to talk about her cycling journey.
Lisa has been cycling since 2011, when her then-partner introduced her to the sport. It took ten years and a painful loss to bring Lisa to PBC. In September of 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic, Lisa’s partner passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. By Spring 2021, Lisa was needing to meet new people, make new connections, and become a better cyclist. Enter PBC.
Lisa credits ride leaders Jeremy Wilson, Rob Schroeder, Mark Lander, and Cary Fisher for setting welcoming tones on rides. She enjoys riding with her PBC crew and appreciates the friendly competition. Since joining PBC, she says that she’s an all-around stronger and more skilled rider, noting that she’s better at climbing hills and has learned to ride a paceline.
When I asked Lisa about her favorite time of day to ride, she quickly replied, “Depends on the season – anytime when the temperature is above 45º and it’s not raining.” ✎
Lisa enjoys riding fast on the flats and averaging 18+ MPH overall. She says her “dream ride” is about 40 miles with 3,000 feet of climbing, monitoring her heart rate (of course). Lisa lives near the Sylvan Hills and often rides the Sunset Highway bike path and around Washington Park. Her favorite club ride is the West Hills Roller Coaster.
Lisa’s tip to other riders, “We’re out there to have fun, so spread the joy.”
I asked Lisa to tell me about one of her “peak” cycling experiences. Without skipping a beat, she recounted how on a recent tour with Bicycle Rides Northwest, she “conquered” the Painted Caves outside of Santa Barbara, California. She’d trained for months and was gratified that her training paid off and she “crushed” the challenge. She’s eyeing a few more BRNW tours for 2026. In addition to doing several rides with BRNW, Lisa has done six rides with Backroads, including on through the French Basque Country.
Finally, I asked Lisa what fellow riders might be surprised to learn about her. She told me that she’s a jokester. She likes to engage with people and tease them. When she’s not cycling, Lisa is a Master Gardener, contributing lots of time and effort to Washington County Master Gardener Association. She’s also a longtime fly fisher. She has two grandchildren here in Oregon: a four-year-old granddaughter and a one-year-old grandson for whom she babysits once a week. A second granddaughter, age seven, lives in Serbia with Lisa’s oldest son and his wife.
If you meet Lisa on the road, smile and ask her about the tours she’s done with Backroads and Bicycle Rides Northwest. After all, it’s the connections we make that make being a PBC member so gratifying.
Julia Surtshin, Club Member