The author, Ellee Thalheimer, would choose a dusty pannier, bike, and crumpled up map any day over an umbrella drink and a lounge chair. She has toured nationally and internationally, worked as a professional bike tour guide, and coordinated cycling routes professionally.
From 2005-2009, Ellee contributed to Lonely Planet guidebooks, and she authored their bike touring guide Cycling Italy. Her travel writing has also appeared in BBC Online, The Oregonian, Momentum, BikePortland.org, Oregon Cycling Magazine, and Cycle California! Magazine.
Ellee is the co-founder of the Portland Society, a non-profit business alliance that connects professional women who are passionate about cycling. In 2010, Ellee also founded the small publishing imprint Into Action Publications, whose titles include Cycling Sojourner: A Guide to the Best Multi-day Tours in Oregon and Hop in the Saddle: A Guide to Portland’s Craft Beer Scene, by Bike.
As a proud resident of SE Portland, Oregon, Ellee lives with her two most favorite guys in the world – Joe the super husband and Winston the dog – and with Patootie, Lady Gaga, and Daffodil, their chickens. RIP Hacksaw.
Things Ellee loves: her fabulous friends and family, cycle touring around the world, sipping mate, backpacking, rock climbing, a solid description or zinging metaphor, beer, lazy mornings, mountain biking, Portland Society members, the Yes Yoga studio, dancing salsa, her backyard, her students, and wine. Combining any of the aforementioned things leads to exponentially more love.