Bike Month begins May 1st/Bike to Work Day is
May 16th
SAN
FRANCISCO, April 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/
-- Organizers of Bay Area Bike to Wherever Days (BTWD) today
announced the winners of the 2024 Bike Champion of the Year awards.
These awards recognize individuals nominated by the public for
inspiring bicycling in their communities, honoring riders in each
of the nine Bay Area counties for their commitment to cycling as a
primary mode of transport.
Metropolitan Transportation Commission Chair Alfredo Pedroza stated, "As a bike advocate, I
am particularly excited about the Bike Champion of the Year awards.
These often are people who might not otherwise be recognized for
their work. It means even more that these winners were nominated by
their own neighbors."
The 2024 Bike Champion of the Year award winners are:
- Alameda County:
Librarian and community activist Anthony
Propernick connects bikers to resources in his East Oakland community through initiatives
like the Bike Fix, the Bike Library Lounge, and the East Oakland
Engagement Team.
- Contra Costa County:
Pittsburg native Bruce "Ole"
Ohlson earned the nickname "Mr. Bicycle" locally and globally by
being a mainstay at public meetings and by organizing a 20,000-mile
group ride across four continents.
- Marin County: Lifelong
biker George Osner, who started at
age 8 and continues nearly 70 years later, has had a successful
career as a bike advocate and rides weekly with the Old Spokes,
Mariners' Cover group, and Terry's Gang.
- Napa County
(co-winners): Aziza Ali
tirelessly advocates for women of color biking in Napa and supports and hosts rides as an avid
member of several Black Girls Do Bike clubs across the country.
Peace officer Trevor Hall, an
advocate for youth biking, spearheaded a pilot program for a
beginner trail system that opened April
15.
- San Francisco County:
Inspired by a family trip to Copenhagen, Peter
Belden returned as an advocate and now works to create
protected bike lanes through Safer
17th Street and Safer Illinois Street.
- San Mateo County:
Max Cohen, owner of Scrub Jay Cycles
bike shop in Pescadero, leads a
weekly after-school bike repair program with a local high school
and works with Puente de la Costa
Sur to repair bikes for farmworkers and locals.
- Santa Clara County:
Jordan Moldow is building a more
cohesive "biketivist" community, serving on the San Jose Bicycle
and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) and encouraging riders to
speak up for overlooked issues like trash obstructing bike
lanes.
- Solano County:
Vacaville resident Eduardo "Eddie"
Sanchez participates with his family in the Genentech Cycling
Classic each year, riding from Vacaville to Winters and back.
- Sonoma County:
Loie Sauer saved the life of
John Mills, who experienced cardiac
arrest while on a ride in early 2023. Loie, a vascular surgeon who
volunteers to provide medical aid with Velomed and the Santa Rosa
Cycling Club, encourages everyone to learn CPR, emphasizing that
the aid she has rendered to injured riders is something everyone
can acquire the skills to do. Eris Weaver, Executive Director of
the Sonoma County Bike Coalition, emphasized the importance of the
Bike Champion of the Year program, saying, "We would not have known
about this hero in our midst if not for the Bike Champion of the
Year nomination."
Full details about the winners can be found here.
Marcella Aranda, MTC Public
Information Officer and Bike to Wherever Days project manager,
commented, "Every year I am amazed by the dedication and diversity
of our Bike Champions, and this year is no exception. Each Bike
Champion, nominated by their county, shines in their own unique
way."
Each winner will receive a signed MTC certificate, a trophy, and
prizes from MTC and Mike's Bikes.
Don't miss Bay Area Bike to Wherever Days running all month from
May 1 to May 31, culminating on the
30th Anniversary of Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 16. As part of the 30th
Anniversary, MTC is launching this year's Bay Area Bike Challenge,
asking riders to log collectively 30,000 bike trips in May.
To participate in the Bike Challenge, riders in all nine Bay
Area counties need only log their bike trips from May 1 through May 31 on the Ride with GPS
platform. Riders will be eligible for eight different prizes,
ranging from the most miles to the most creative route, with prize
awards ranging from $200 to
$500.
- Learn More and Join the Bay Area Bike Challenge
- Sign up for the Bay Area Bike Challenge on Ride with
GPS
- Pledge to Ride this Month
Details can be found online at BayAreaBikeToWork.com
Follow us on social media:
- Facebook: @biketoworkday
- X (formerly known as Twitter): @BikeToWorkSFBay
- Instagram: @biketoworkday_bayarea
Bay Area Bike to Wherever Days is presented by MTC (the
transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the
nine-county San Francisco Bay
Area), 511 (the region's traveler information system),
and Amazon. BTWD 2024 also receives regional support from the
Bay Area Air Quality Management District and BART, as well as
from many sponsors at the local level. Prizes for the Bike Champion
of the Year winners were donated by MTC, Sports
Basement and Mike's Bikes.
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SOURCE Metropolitan Transportation Commission