She loves to walk, and he loves to bike… together they’ve progressively formed the use of active transportation into one of the priorities and maybe one of the more enjoyable portions of their day. Together they have committed themselves to biking and walking, and at many times Bethany Wu and Nick O’Connor may be seen around Provo, along Center Street or on the Provo River Parkway Trail, doing both at the same time: Bethany walking and Nick with his bike!
Their commitment to active transport, seemingly to this author during our interview, has become carefully and deliberately woven into their relationship, almost becoming a part of its foundation. After meeting Bethany and Nick at a couple of Provo Bike Hub activities, specifically a picnic ride to Bicentennial Park and a swim ride up the Provo Canyon recently, I caught up with them again at the Provo City Library at Academy Square, where the three of us sat down to share the air conditioning inside this beautiful, artsy building on a very warm August afternoon.
“I moved here [to Provo] at the beginning of 2021,” Nick begins telling me, “in my first semester at BYU I bought a ten-speed road bike. Then we met, Bethany had moved into the same apartment complex that I was living in, that’s where we met.” Bethany joins our chat: “Prior to COVID in 2016 I was going to school at BYU, then went on a mission [church sponsored] to Indonesia in 2018; came back in 2019 from my mission to continue school at BYU.” Nick himself had completed a mission in Brazil just before moving to Provo from Kentucky, and attending Brigham Young University to study math and economics.
Nick finished school this year, obtaining a Bachelor's in Mathematics and Economics and graduating from BYU with honors. Bethany already has a Master of Science in Physics, having completed an undergraduate internship at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California, and she is now working here in Provo as an Acoustical Consultant.
“On my third bike,” Nick tells me, and says he’s now riding a Rivendell, Clem Smith. Bethany quickly adds that she’s also on her third bike and, when she’s not out walking, enjoys riding her Surly, Long Haul Trucker (“...designed in all aspects to go the distance in relative comfort, and to be able to haul a bunch of stuff,” the Surly website states). “In the winter I walked; in the summer I rode to BYU,” in reference to attending classes at the school’s main campus from 2016-2024.
Today, “I walk about an hour a day to work and back,” Bethany answers and then explains that walking feels more natural to her than biking. “One thing I like about walking is my parents are from Hong Kong.” Hong Kong is well known for being a very walkable city, over 40% of its land is designated as country parks. But biking has always had a place in her life, having grown up in Fremont, California where Bethany says, “especially, there are many protected bike lanes.” A strong cyclist, Bethany was in the forefront much of the way on the aforementioned Provo Bike Hub group ride that I also participated in recently.
Bethany and Nick often walk and/or ride along the Provo River Parkway, at times stopping off at “Macey’s to pick up small items.” Living in the Dixon Neighborhood, the Parkway is nearby and the grocery store sits just off the bike path a little more than a mile away. When Nick was still attending classes at BYU he would “bike up 800 West to 800 North,” and then head east to quickly arrive on campus. Going home, Nick tells me, he might take an alternate, “longer route for fun,” i.e. the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, thus giving him a relaxing interlude in his day.
On one such evening ride home, Nick met Brad Slade (a BYU photographer and a daily biker) who often does the same thing after work: finding interesting, albeit much longer, routes home. “He [Brad] inspired me!” Nick wanted to add. Another inspiration came when Nick “was selling a Frisbee on KSL” and the buyer, a college professor, “told me about BikeWalk Provo.” From there, Nick began “learning about urbanism and active transportation from Aaron [Skabelund] and Kira [Johnson], and lots of other friends.”
“I feel like a kid!” Nick answers my question about what it’s like out there on the road. He normally bikes “three to ten miles a day” on average, but on the weekends you may find Nick bike camping overnight somewhere on the Wasatch Range. “I’m really into bikepacking!” What Nick doesn’t like is “unprotected bike lanes and people turning right” who aren't observant of pedestrians and others crossing next to them, although he’s never been hit.
What is it like for Bethany? “I get to know the area that I live in, and see my friends everyday. And we really like biking and walking together. What I don’t enjoy is getting hit by cars, almost; at least once” Bethany was nearly struck by a car.
Nick offers a quick side-note, “biking and walking has got me into sewing bags for myself and friends. Because I need them for backpacking.” Bethany immediately unzips her backpack and pulls out a small cloth travel bag, beautifully hand-crafted, and shows it to me. “Nick made this for me!” Now here’s a couple who have enriched their lives with the use of active transportation, I’m thinking.
