Karin Vartowski, the bike lady: Post obituary

Karin Vartowski, the bike lady

We never met Karin Vartowski, who was known as the bike lady. We wish we had. She was a dancer, a teacher, and a bicyclist. From her obituary in the Post:

Karin Vartowski never owned a car. She rode her bike everywhere. Literally, everywhere.

She rode in rain, sleet, snow and Washington's oppressive summer heat. Most days, she meandered along the Capital Crescent Trail or Brookville Road, running her errands along the way. Often she would hold up traffic when she would impulsively stop to pick fresh flowers from a patch on the side of the road.

"You feel so much more alive when you are outside in all kinds of weather. Your body stays in tune with what’s out there," she once said. "Bicycling is always an ad­ven­ture and a mystery."