Meet the 2025 Bike Champions of the Year
Congratulations to our incredible awardees! From teachers inspiring youth to ride, to youth themselves inspiring teachers, these champions share a deep commitment to making cycling accessible, safe, and enjoyable for all. Read on to meet the awardees from each of the nine Bay Area counties, or click to jump to a specific county.
ALAMEDA COUNTY
Rich Rickard
Oakland resident Rick Rickard, age 81, has been named Alameda County's 2025 Bike Champion of the Year, recognizing his transformative impact on cycling advocacy spanning more than five decades. Rickard was nominated by Hansa Jacob-Martin, Tom Willging, Kristi Marleau, Robert Prinz, and Alden Mudge. From shaping some of the region's most significant bike advocacy to what it is today to his current work with adaptive cycling, Rickard has continuously redefined what cycling advocacy means in the East Bay.
Today, Rickard dedicates his energy to the adaptive cycling program at Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP), riding weekly with a friend who is rehabilitating from a serious crash. "Through this experience, I've really come to appreciate the work that BORP does for folks with physical and mental challenges," says Rickard, whose latest chapter in advocacy is opening cycling's benefits to those previously excluded from traditional biking.
This work builds on Rickard's legacy of leadership at Bike East Bay, where he served on the Board of Directors for 19 years—14 as Treasurer—providing the organizational stability that transformed cycling infrastructure throughout Alameda County notes Robert Prinz, Bike East Bay's Director of Advocacy. At a pivotal moment when the organization's future hung in the balance, Rickard stepped in as Acting Director and secured crucial funding to create its first permanent paid executive director position—a turning point that set Bike East Bay on its current trajectory. On Rickard’s crucial Bike East Bay Board tenure, Alden Mudge notes "During his decades on the BEB board, there were louder voices but none more respected or influential."
"It's amazing to see what we've accomplished over the past 20 years or so," reflects Rickard. "The pace of change has really picked up in recent years—I hope that continues! Engineers and planners are more receptive to our needs than ever—we need to continue to build on that relationship."
Nominator Tom Willging notes, “Rick's contribution to cycling in the East Bay is most notable for its longevity,” going on to explain that Rickard’s dedication to bicycling advocacy did not stop at his time serving as Bike East Bay Board Member, instead integrating advocacy into a personal daily routine. Rickard regularly submits news and advocacy information to the Grizzly Peak Cycling Clubs popular listserv, remains an active advocate on Oakland’s Measure DD Coalition, and he's been a long-tenured participant in framing cycling policies throughout the East Bay Regional Park District.
Oakland’s Measure DD is a bond issue funding park and recreation facilities passed by Oakland voters in 2002. Since its passage Rickard has represented the bicycling community on the coalition providing public oversight of the measure’s projects. Of the projects related to bicycling, one of the most important and challenging has been closing numerous gaps in the San Francisco Bay Trail along Oakland’s waterfront. He has worked closely with City of Oakland and East Bay Regional Park staff on closing those gaps, thus enhancing public access to the waterfront.
Beyond his administrative leadership, Rickard has demonstrated his commitment to cycling and environmental causes through participation in the Climate Ride in 2012 (North Coast) and 2017 (Central Coast), consistently connecting cycling advocacy to broader environmental concerns.
When asked why cycling matters, Rickard cites "exercise and fresh air" along with practical benefits like avoiding traffic and parking hassles. On building community, he notes, "The biking community is relatively small. I think that tends to bring us together, easily able to connect with other bicyclists, even if we don't know them."
About his selection as Bike Champion of the Year, Rickard simply states, "I'm glad to have done my bit for biking and Bike East Bay over the years and I appreciate being recognized for my efforts." Meanwhile, his ongoing work with adaptive cycling, community ride groups, and road safety and connectivity continues to expand cycling accessibility for all East Bay residents, ensuring his advocacy impact will be felt for generations to come.
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Teresa Datar
Teresa Datar’s nearly 70-mile round trip commute from Brentwood to Martinez starts with a six-mile bike ride to Antioch BART, a 35-minute BART ride, and another eight-mile bike ride from Pleasant Hill BART to her Contra Costa County office in Martinez. At the end of the day, she does it all again in reverse. “I love riding my bike. I hope to advocate more accessible public transportation and safe bike pathways for all level riders.”
Teresa says that once you get in the groove, being a cyclist can expand your social horizons. In 2018 she joined Delta Valley Velo (DV2), a cycling club in Brentwood, which she credits with finding community and bringing back the childhood joy of riding a bike. After joining DV2, she got a job in the Sports Basement bike shop in Walnut Creek where she learned how to fix and build bikes and even lead group rides. She’s since joined more clubs including Delta Peddlers, Contra Cycling Club, and Riders of Contra Costa. “The riders I’ve met have helped me grow as a cyclist and a person. I feel strong enough to use my bike as an alternative form of transportation because of the cyclists I’ve met who do it every single day. Being part of the cycling community has inspired me and given me the confidence to do things like ride my bike to work.”
Way to go, Teresa, you are an inspiration as well. Congratulations and thanks for representing the many dedicated cyclists who choose to bike to work, school, and throughout their communities every day.
In Memoriam, Bill Pinkham
Last year, Contra Costa lost a pillar of the bicycle community, Richmond-resident Bill Pinkham. Bill was not only a familiar face at public meetings but also a masterful mind for not only recalling needed improvements to the bicycle network but also developing solutions. Coming to work with a sincere passion for climate justice, Bill was involved in the Sierra Club, 350.org, El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll, the Richmond Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the BART Bicycle Advisory Task Force, and was the West County citizen representative to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. He was also a fixture at West Contra Costa Transportation Commission meetings.
Bill wasn’t just a Bicycle Champion of the Year, he was a Bicycle Champion every day of his life. You are missed, Bill.
MARIN COUNTY
Chuck Ford
Chuck Ford didn’t set out to become a biking role model. But for the hundreds of young people who passed through his programs over the years, that’s exactly what he became.
Chuck spent most of his career with the Marin County Office of Education’s TEAM program, an alternative high school focused on outdoor learning through activities like rock climbing, kayaking, hiking, and mountain biking. He modeled an active, values-driven life, regularly commuting 27 miles round-trip by bike from Fairfax to Terra Linda, rain or shine. As Chuck explained, he didn't talk about exercise; he just did it. He wasn't trying to get anyone to do what he did, but he also wasn't a 'do as I say, not as I do' kind of teacher. Having experienced too much of that growing up, he chose instead to lead by example. Through his actions, he introduced countless students to cycling not just as a means of transportation but as a source of confidence, independence, and joy.
In the early 1990s, Chuck played a quiet but pivotal role in the launch of Trips for Kids, the now-national program that connects underserved youth with mountain biking. “They couldn’t get insurance,” Chuck recalls. “But we had insurance through the County Office of Education, so I signed the kids up as part of our TEAM program.” That allowed Trips for Kids to get rolling and Chuck led the very first ride.
Chuck also helped build community among adult riders. In the early 2000s, he co-founded a weekly Friday group ride with a few friends. Today, that same ride lives on as the Old Spokes, a welcoming, mostly-retired crew that rides together and shares a post-ride coffee or lunch.
Now in his late 70s, Chuck still bikes several times a week, often on an e-bike since undergoing chemotherapy and cancer surgery. “If I wasn’t in the shape I was in when I was diagnosed, I don’t think I could’ve handled the treatment,” he says. “Cycling helped get me through it.”
Chuck’s vision for the future of cycling? More kids walking and biking to school. Safer routes in underserved neighborhoods. More support for the programs that connect youth with the outdoors.
For his decades of steady leadership, whether riding to work before it was common, helping Trips for Kids get started, or shaping the lives of hundreds of young people through outdoor education, we’re proud to honor Chuck Ford as Marin County’s 2025 Bike Champion.
NAPA COUNTY
T.C. Hulsey
In Napa County, T.C.’s name is synonymous with bicycling. He has been riding and commuting by bike for 61 years and has promoted biking throughout his career and retirement, beginning in the 1990s. T.C. volunteered at UCI mountain bike races, the Tour of Napa Valley, and Napa Valley Transportation Authority’s Active Transportation Advisory Committee. During his time working at Napa State Hospital, he developed and led bicycling groups for patients to enhance their physical and mental health. When he was placed in charge of the hospital’s Grounds Presence Team, he organized training for them and established a bike patrol.
More recently, T.C.’s time and talents have been invaluable to both the Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition (NVVT) and the Napa County Bicycle Coalition (NCBC). He now chairs NVVT’s Programs Committee, where he launched the Trail Ambassador program. Over 20 volunteer ambassadors are available to provide assistance and information along all three completed segments of the trail when needed. Said Shawn Casey-White, NVVT Executive Director, “T.C.'s volunteer army builds a ‘Smile for Miles’ culture for the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of all Vine Trail users. I couldn't do my job without T.C.”
As a part of NCBC’s Advocacy Working Group, T.C. attends public meetings to advocate for better bike infrastructure. Kara Vernor, NCBC Executive Director, said, “T.C. always knows the right thing to say, and his infectious positivity and belief in the power of bicycling wins people over.” TC is also the volunteer lead on NCBC’s first-of-its-kind Adopt-a-Highway partnership with Caltrans under which NCBC sweeps the protected bike lanes on Imola Avenue. Vernor said, “Had T.C. not stepped up to help, I’m not sure we would have felt we had the capacity to commit to the monthly cleaning that has prevented these important bike lanes from being removed.”
T.C. doesn’t hesitate to lead by example or to offer his personal background for inspiration. He shares, “I have been handicapped since I was an infant, and have always walked with a very pronounced limp. When I learned to ride a bicycle, it was the first time in my life that I felt like a ‘normal’ kid. I hope to be able to inspire other people who may not think they can enjoy the benefits that cycling can bring. I’m now old and handicapped. If I can do it, they can too!”
Holly Ong, Secretary of the NVVT, said it best: “It’s hard to do justice to all the volunteer hours and the kaleidoscope activities that T.C. has done to enhance safety, advocacy and inclusion for the riders of the Napa Valley.”
The Calistoga Riding for Focus Team (Teachers Eric Heitz & Louise Owens)
Eric Heitz, a middle school teacher at Calistoga Jr./Sr. High School, became aware of the Outride Foundation’s Riding for Focus program through a friend of his who taught the program in a neighboring county. Inspired by seeing how much the students enjoyed the program, he banded together with co-teacher Louise Owens to advocate for bringing the program to Calistoga. After securing permission from the school district and writing a successful grant application, the two brought the program to Calistoga in the summer of 2023.
The Riding for Focus team has since been teaching around 120 7th and 8th grade students each year to improve their bike handling skills and their understanding of traffic safety. The grant brought Eric and Louise to a 3-day training institute, provided them the 12-lesson curriculum that also emphasizes social and emotional outcomes, and allowed them to purchase 34 helmets and Specialized Rockhopper bikes. The school district provided a facility to store the bikes.
Eric said, “I’ve been surprised that so many students were open to learning new and challenging bicycle techniques. Some students had NO riding experience and are now riding independently!”
Louise noted how the attitude toward reducing car traffic and using bikes to get to school has improved. “The school now has a secure, dedicated space for student bikes with racks for youth who ride.”
Carlotta Sainato, Program Manager for the Napa County Bicycle Coalition, notes, “The Riding for Focus team has made a huge contribution to Napa County’s Safe Routes to Schools Partnership and is growing a generation of young riders in Calistoga who are safer and more confident.”
Audra Pittman, Superintendent of the Calistoga Unified School District and the team’s nominator, sent a note of thanks to Eric and Louise for effort and undertaking and for “providing this opportunity to our students!”
SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY
Tony Guan
Tony is an 8th grader at MLK Jr. Middle School a student assistant to a bike elective course run by his teacher, Ms, Delfino who nominated him. Tony shares his passion for bikes by helping teach 6th graders how to ride bikes, the rules of the road, and some basic bike maintenance. He loves seeing the 6th grade students smiling as they’re riding, and is glad to have helped teach them a skill that they carry with them for the rest of their lives. Tony has also helped both to maintain the school’s fleet of bikes and to fix up bikes that belong to his fellow students. Ms. Delfino says, “I have never had a student so passionate and knowledgeable about bikes. Some days I am teaching him, and other days he's teaching me.”
Outside of class, Tony loves to ride on trails and explore the City by bike with his friends. His favorite place to ride is John McLaren Park.
SAN MATEO COUNTY
Adina Levin
Adina Levin, Executive Director of Seamless Bay Area and lifelong bicyclist is improving active transportation and making it connected and accessible to all!
Adina Levin is a steward for active transportation both professionally and in her free time. Nominated because she, “always takes her bicycle as she traverses the Bay Area,” she rides to get to the bus or train, to run errands, and occasional rides for fun.
She was positively influenced at a young age by her father, who commuted by bike to his research lab, and ever since then bicycling has been a part of her daily life. As a child, she remembers proudly cycling to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk for the family and carrying it in a front basket.
Flash forward to today and Adina is the Executive Director of Seamless Bay Area where she works to engage people in the region and the state to secure a seamless network of transit and active transportation that is accessible to all. She also chairs the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Regional Network Management Customer Advisory Group and serves on the MTC Policy Advisory Council. Before that she was chair of the Menlo Park Complete Streets Commission until terming out. Locally Adina advocates for housing and sustainable transportation with Peninsula for Everyone and Menlo Together, so those communities can be welcoming and sustainable.
In the future, Adina sees people of all ages bicycling to get around because it is safe, healthy and convenient. With her dedicated work to make the transit system more connected and coordinated—and by being a bike advocate—we know this vision will come to life which is why she is San Mateo’s 2025 Bicycle Champion of the Year!
SANTA CLARA COUNTY
Han Yeung
Han Yeung was just a junior in high school when he started an entirely student-run bike club in Saratoga, CA. It has grown to become one of the largest clubs on campus and together they have traversed over thousands of miles. The club has inspired people to go outside and exercise in an era of captivating technology, while fostering a community of youth cyclists which Saratoga had lacked prior to the club.
When Han started the club, it opened up many doors of opportunity—he gained recognition at the Bike Summit in September 2024 as a Youth Leader in Active Transportation when it was showcased during the annual Cupertino Bikefest. Having ridden a countless number of miles himself, he hopes to adequately prepare the next leaders of the club to continue the work after he graduates, leaving behind an organization he’s grown to love.
Hans’ main mode of transportation is bicycling because he doesn’t have a driver's license yet! He commutes to school and local extracurricular events via biking, meaning he bikes almost every day for transportation. He also aspires to commission as a Marine officer and believes that all of his cycling serves as training for the intense physical and mental demands.
It all started when he first did a ride to Santa Cruz in August 2022 with his cycling friends. When he went down to the beach and touched the ocean it revealed, “the endless limitations of cycling and the value of exploring the world around me.” He likes to explore on his bike, typically entailing long distance rides to places he hasn’t been by bicycle. The rules he’s abided by thus far are that the ride must be completed in a single day, and I start and end at home in Saratoga. He then attempted to break his longest mileage record every time and set further goals to explore. He used breaks throughout his school year to break records like Monterey (150 miles), Sausalito (160 miles), and Modesto (170 miles).
Before he leaves for college, he hopes to break 200 miles in a day and bike to every major peak in the local area: Mount Umunhum, Mount Hamilton, Mount Tamalpais, Loma Prieta and Mount Diablo. Umunhum being the only peak he’s managed to climb thus far, shown in his Bicycle Champion of the Year photo.
SOLANO COUNTY
Lamont Jones II
Lamont Jones II has become a living example of how the principles learned through dedicated cycling can translate to success in all areas of life.
Head out before dawn, and you might spot Suisun City resident Lamont Jones II pedaling around Solano County on his Specialized bike. A fan of cycling since he was a child, Lamont started biking seriously after an injury. He says he bikes because he loves it. You’ll find him riding everywhere because it’s good for the environment and his body. He loves the freedom of a good ride, especially exploring the Napa Vine Trail. This year Lamont rode 95.8 miles from Vallejo to Calistoga.
On his daily rides, Lamont advocates cycling by posting motivational videos on social media. His large social media presence garnered massive nominations.
Four years ago, Lamont’s son was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart condition, and passed away just a couple months later. Today he honors his son’s memory by raising donations for heart health non-profits while informing others about the risks and dangers of not taking preventative measures to encourage heart health in youth.
One nominator says, Lamont’s daily dedication is a reminder to all of us that there is always hope, and that physical movement can be a path to emotional and spiritual healing. Lamont Jones II has become a living example of how the principles learned through dedicated cycling can translate to success in all areas of life.
SONOMA COUNTY
Matt Fritzinger
The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition has named Matt Fritzinger the 2025 Bike Champion of the Year for founding and organizing the Blue-Tailed Skinks, a mountain biking club for kids up through 5th grade.
Fritzinger, who lives with his family in Graton, has long been a champion of getting more kids on bikes. He is well-known in the mountain biking community as the founder of the NorCal High School Cycling League, which he formed in 2001. Following that league’s success, he helped form the National Interscholastic Cycling Association in 2009, which brought student mountain biking leagues to states across the U.S.
His recent efforts with the Skinks, named for a lizard a group of riders once found under a log in Forestville, have perhaps a more personal motivation behind them: the opportunity to ride with his two young sons.
“For myself that’s always been the draw, to be able to do a sport together with my kids,” Fritzinger said. “It’s a dream come true.”
The club began casually about four years ago, with maybe 10 kids and their parents showing up to ride at Howarth Park in Santa Rosa and Riverfront Regional Park in Healdsburg. By last fall, the group, co-founded by Jeremiah Price, was drawing up to 150 riders, with 75 more on the waiting list. Now an incorporated nonprofit, the Skinks have a formal schedule and a growing roster of parent volunteers who assist as ride leaders and help coach different skill levels.
As much as the club gives parents a chance to ride with their kids, Fritzinger said, it also gives kids a chance to ride with their friends. The club also helps set the stage for participation in team mountain biking opportunities as the kids get older.
Fritzinger was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2016 for his work in high school mountain biking. A former math teacher at Berkeley High School, he is now a solar designer and salesperson for Michael & Sun Solar in Graton.
As he sees it, in forming the Skinks he simply saw a need and decided to do something about it. Now, as the club has been bolstered by growing interest and a more formal structure, Fritzinger considers that it could become one of the top youth mountain biking programs in the country. Given the passion for cycling across Sonoma County, he sees no reason why that can’t happen.
“This is the best place in the USA to be a cyclist, so I know we can do this,” he said.