2024 Bike Champion of the Year Winners Announced

Bike Month begins May 1^st/Bike to Work Day is May 16^th

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 17^th 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 30^th Anniversary of Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 16. As part of the 30^th 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. 

SOURCE Metropolitan Transportation Commission