Meet Gopika Prabhu, SF Bicycle Coalition member and Climate Rider. She completed the 300-plus mile charity bike ride raising money and awareness for environmentally-friendly organizations like the SF Bicycle Coalition. Here’s what inspires Gopika:
SF Bicycle Coalition: What advice would you give to someone who’s considering signing up for the Climate Ride?
Gopika: Climate Ride was one of the best things I did. When a friend asked me to join his team, I thought it would be an incredible opportunity to give back and push myself to do something outside my comfort zone. I’ve never run a marathon, and it’s been a while since I’ve played a group sport. So, as I entered my 30’s, I figured this would be a really rewarding and fun challenge.
How did you choose which beneficiaries to support?
I run a design studio in Potrero and we work with mission-driven organizations, a lot of whom are in the environmental conservation space. I felt like participating in Climate Ride would give me a chance to learn more about the environment so as to better serve my clients. It was great to be able to pick my own beneficiary organizations, and I specifically chose the SF Bicycle Coalition because I appreciated the opportunity to give back to my immediate community.
Any techniques you found to help you fundraise?
Fundraising was a lot more effortless than I thought. My team hosted a fundraising party which really helped, and then through friends and family, corporate matching, etc., I was able to raise the rest.
Learn more about the Climate Ride on Friday, Jan. 29 at a meet & greet at the SF Bicycle Coalition. All attendees at the meet & greet will received a special discount on the registration fee! RSVP today.
We’re recruiting riders for the California North Coast Ride on May 22-26, but there are eight different rides to choose from. All of the Climate Ride’s bike rides and hikes are fully supported, including food and accomadations. Don’t miss the camaraderie and the chance to spend five days biking along California’s beautiful north coast from Fortuna to San Francisco, through the Russian River Wine Country, and along the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route—one of the most scenic coastlines in the world.
As a beneficiary of the ride, a portion of the funds raised by riders who choose us will go directly to support our daily advocacy work to bring more bike lanes and safer streets to our city. This “climate conference on wheels” is the world’s largest environmental charity cycling event, featuring nightly speakers who focus on bicycle advocacy, the climate crisis and a clean energy future.
And don’t forget to choose your SF Bicycle Coalition as your beneficiary!
