Bike to Work Day is more than just a holiday; for many, it’s the start of a healthy lifestyle. Take it from Zachary Brown who first commuted by bike on Bike to Work Day in 2011. Zachary’s memorable experience put him on a trajectory to becoming an avid biker with lasting effects on his lifestyle and health.
Zachary was familiar with the SF Bicycle Coalition’s Energizer Station outside of his place of work on the Embarcadero year after year. “After many years of helping coordinate the Energizer Station, it felt only right to bike to work myself!” Zachary said.
“I didn’t own a bike at the time. Early in the year, I found an old road frame owned by my late father, and I had a bike shop build it specifically for urban riding commuting in San Francisco,” Zachary said. “Bike to Work Day 2011 was the perfect opportunity to try it out!”
Now Zachary consistently commutes by bike, and he’s not looking back.
“My life is much better,” Zachary said. I’m in much better shape, the ride to and from work serves as both stress relief as well as a way to fire my endorphins.”
And it’s not just during commute hours that you’ll find Zachary in the saddle.
“I am now an avid cyclist beyond simply commuting. I find opportunities to engage with cycling communities in the Bay Area,” Zachary said. “My wife now owns two bikes and joins me on rides.”
Since Zachary’s first day commuting by bike on Bike to Work Day in 2011, his health, lifestyle and even how he drives has changed.
“Seeing the streets of San Francisco through the eyes of bike commuting every day to work, I am now a much safer driver in the city,” Zachary said. “You learn that speeding, beating lights and aggressive driving will not get you there any faster.”
Zachary is a stellar example of how the hundreds of volunteers who make Bike to Work Day possible are changing how San Franciscans commute and live. So we asked him what he’d like to say to our member-volunteers.
“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU,” Zachary said. “You make San Francisco a better place, and you are the reason for my relationship with cycling!”
More San Franciscans commute by bike for the first time on Bike to Work Day than on any other day of the year. Thanks to the incredible support of our member-volunteers, SF’s Bike to Work Day is the biggest celebration of people biking in North America. Help us keep it up, and keep welcoming more and more people to the fun and freedom of biking. Sign up to volunteer today and make a real difference in how we commute as a city.
