"Wheeeee! There’s nothing better than biking in the Bay Area sunshine.”
Cathleen Stugard, director of Strategy Planning for Campus Life Services, is right.
San Francisco picks up a special rhythm the second Thursday in May, when the sun comes out, and people from all over the city jump onto their bikes to participate in San Francisco’s favorite bike holiday.
Bike to Work Day, now known as Bike to Wherever Day, started just over 30 years ago and has become an iconic part of National Bike Month and a staple within the San Francisco bike community.
At UC San Francisco, Transportation provided special Bike Month programming, including free webinars, Sports Basement discounts, and e-bike leasing and purchasing options.
UCSF Bike Bus participants ride from the Embarcadero to Mission Bay.
"As a sustainable, healthy, and efficient method of moving around San Francisco, biking reinforces UCSF’s mission to advance health worldwide. As UCSF continues to grow, the role of biking, micro-mobility, and other sustainable transportation modes are becoming more important," Transportation Demand Manager, Tyler Dewey said.
Transportation also collaborated with the San Francisco Bike Coalition to host energizer stations across UCSF campuses, part of a larger network of stations across the Bay that bikers can visit to collect bike merch and win prizes.
Dewey, who bikes to work himself, arrived early to help set up the Mission Bay energizer station, which welcomed over 150 visitors.
Dewey welcomes visitors to the Bike to Wherever day energizer station at Mission Bay.
"With energizer stations popping up across the city and the Bay Area, Bike to Wherever Day is a great way for people to give biking a try in a very community-oriented, celebratory way," Dewey said.
Terri Rice, a project manager for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, leads the Bike Bus route known affectionately as “the Wiggle”, and was excited to see the turnout.
"It was so nice to see that our efforts to bring in more riders came to fruition,” Rice said.
Walter Alvarenga and his son Zenju check out some swag while visiting the UCSF Energizer Station during Bike to Wherever Day.
Bikes! at UCSF, a beginner-friendly bike community, led two "bike buses" that brought UCSF staff, students, and faculty together for a spirited ride to work.
John Hamiga, a research communication specialist for the Division of Prevention Science and Bikes! at UCSF officer, eagerly passed out pins, bandanas, stickers, and gift cards to riders commuting to UCSF.
“There was such a positive energy across the Bike Bus routes and at the energizer station — students, staff, faculty, longtime riders, and people trying it for the first time all showing up for one another. That spirit of peace, love, ride, and community was everywhere today.”
This year was the first year Health Promotion Specialist Maya Ezekial got to participate in the community organized Bike to Wherever Day activities with Bikes! at UCSF.
"Spending the morning in the sunshine with so many enthusiastic cyclists celebrating bikes has to be the highlight of my month, let alone my day," Ezekial said.
Maya Ezekial (left) and Jasmine Wu (right) at the Mission Bay energizer station after completing the bike bus from Embarcadero.
The bike buses, which are continuing throughout May, take place every Thursday with two starting points: the Embarcadero and Page and Scott Street.
As for advice for new riders, Rice and Ezekial both emphasized the community of riders who are ready to help.
“I would tell someone who is nervous about biking to work that I totally understand that feeling and that we at Bikes! at UCSF and the Bicycle Coalition are here to help them become confident bike commuters.”
For Hamiga and many other riders, this month’s bike activities build a deeper sense of connection to UCSF’s mission and the fellow riders who work across the institution.
"Riding alongside fellow cyclists from campuses across UCSF reminded me how connected our work really is. Whether someone is in research, patient care, communications, or operations, we’re all part of advancing health and wellbeing beyond our own neighborhoods,” Hamiga said.