Seattle was recently named the best bike city in the United States by Bicycling magazine. How did this notoriously hilly and rainy city become so inviting to bicyclists? And what challenges lie ahead for Puget Sound bike advocates? Seattle Bike Blog Founder and Editor Tom Fucoloro dug into these topics in his 2023 book, Biking Uphill in the Rain.

Fucoloro will be celebrating the end of Bike Everywhere Month by speaking about his work at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 29 at the Edmonds Library, 650 Main St. The program is being organized by the North Sound Bicycle Advocates (formerly Edmonds Bicycle Advocacy Group/EBAG) and will provide light snacks and beverages.

An independent journalist originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Fucoloro sold his car to pay for his move to Seattle and founded the Seattle Bike Blog in 2010. He quickly learned to love biking while getting around Seattle and believes that more people biking more places safely is a good thing for our society, according to a North Sound Bicycle Advocates announcement, which also stated:

In Biking Uphill in the Rain, Tom blends his longtime reporting with new interviews and archival research to tell the story of how a flourishing bike culture emerged despite the obstacles of climate, topography,and — most importantly — an entrenched, car-centric urban landscape and culture. From the arrival of the first bicycles in the late 19th century to the bike-share entrepreneurs of the present day, the result is a unique perspective on Seattle’s history and its future.

More than just a mode of transportation, the bicycle has been used by generations of Seattleites as a tool for social change. Biking Uphill in the Rain documents the people and projects that made a difference and reveals just how deeply intertwined transportation is with politics, public health, climate change and racial justice.