John Duggan - Sponsor Profile

FareStart Racing Sponsor Profile No. 1 – John Duggan, Attorney-at-Law

John Duggan is a familiar name in many cycling circles in the greater Seattle and Puget Sound area and is widely considered a tremendous friend of cycling and in particular, cyclists who are injured.  In addition to his strong involvement with both the Cascade Bicycle Club and the Bike Alliance of Washington, he sponsors many amateur racing teams including Thumbprint Racing which rides on behalf of charity and will represent FareStart for the 2012 season.

We began our overview of John with some questions posed directly to him.

What got you into cycling initially?  Did it precede your interest in law?

Yes, my interest in cycling preceded my interest in law. Initially, I started cycling during college and law school as a matter of necessity because I did not own a car. After law school a couple of other attorneys turned me on to the recreational side of riding. I had been a high-level soccer player through college and once my playing days were over cycling was able to provide the fitness and competitiveness that I had been used to my entire life.

What motivated you to get into the legal profession?  What sort of things make your day super positive or not so swell?

My older brother was an attorney and there was some expectation that I engage in some sort of professional career----I wasn't smart enough to go to medical school, dental school, etc.

I have been an attorney for 26 years. It wasn't until approximately eight years ago that I decided to focus my entire practice on cycling related advocacy work. I was able to combine my vocation and avocation and I love my job. Not a lot of lawyers are able to combine their work and play in such a way. It would be like a lawyer that golfs only representing golfers. I get to ride to work, talk about cycling all day and then ride home.

For all the cyclists out there – what is one thing you would want everyone to know no matter what?

Install a blinking strobe light on your handlebars for both daytime and nighttime riding! I have about 85 bicycle cases in my office right now and more than half of them involve a left turning motorist who does not see the cyclist traveling in the opposite direction. Because we do not have the mass of a car, we are not on the motorist’s radar screen. Anything we can do to get the attention of the car driver will help reduce bike versus car collisions.

What are your most and least favorite areas to ride your bike?

Most favorite :
Road: all the hills near Rainier and long rides in eastern Washington.
Mtn:  Moab!
I don't really have a least favorite, but I can tell you one of the most dangerous places to ride is Mercer Island----lots and lots of driveways, curves and drivers with a sense of “entitlement”.

Cycling seems to fragment into more and more interesting types of specialized areas each year.  For me, watching some bike polo this summer made me go “whoa! – those guys are talented”.  What’s the funkiest thing you see people doing on bikes today?

Danny MacAskill from Scotland---- he seems to be able to ride his bike on every sort of natural terrain or man-made obstacles. 

Suzie Kauper is a Seattle area wife, mom and a professional manger for a national accounting firm with offices in downtown Seattle.  She is also a bike racer and commuter and has relied on John for some occasions when she had unexpected contact with vehicles on the road and says “John is super, and really easy to work with!”.

We also checked in with Barbara Culp, the Executive Director of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington (BAW) to get her feedback on working with John and she had many wonderful anecdotes to share.  Here are a couple that I think do a great job of showing his passion for cycling:

“John is the personification of the ‘bicycling attorney’ often riding his bike from his offices in Pioneer Square right into the BAW offices.  Not to the offices, then dismounting and walking in the front door but into the offices, often riding through the door and into the lobby to expound on some matter or another”.  

Barbara recounts another time when an area cyclist was assaulted in the I-90 tunnel in Mt. Baker and when John learned of it he wrote passionately to both Barbara as well as Chuck Ayers at the Cascade Bicycle Club about whether there wasn’t more that could be done to make this route safer for all users.

We’re proud to be affiliated with John, and while we hope we never have to call him, we’re glad to know he’s there – ready to serve.  You can reach John at:

Work: 206-343-1888
Cell: 206-714-1085
Fax: 206-343-2200
john@dugganbikelaw.com