The Winner of Our September Bike Raffle Is…

Curious who won our September raffle for a new bike? Well wait no more. New SF Bicycle Coalition member Nathan Hurst won that gorgeous ride, but the story doesn’t end there. As an avid cyclist with a generous spirit, Nathan decided to donate the bike (as well as two used bikes he has) to someone who needs it through our Bike it Forwards program!

Nathan may be a new member, but he’s not new to bicycling. Before moving to San Francisco he took an epic journey by bike all the way across Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo. These days you’ll find him hosting multi-day trips in Napa and Sonoma as a bicycle tour guide. We sat down with Nathan to find out more about him and his love of bicycling:

SF Bicycle Coalition: When did you first start biking in San Francisco?

Nathan: I moved to San Francisco six years ago and immediately started commuting by bike. Since then, I’ve also started road, mountain and gravel biking.

What’s your favorite aspect of bicycling in San Francisco?

My favorite aspect of biking in San Francisco is the access to stunning places to ride. Not many cities have spots like Golden Gate Park, the Presidio or Twin Peaks, let alone all three. Even better, if you’re a little more ambitious, Hawk Hill and everything north in Marin is spectacular, and you can get to them straight from your door. And then there’s the fire roads, dedicated singletrack, bike camping and the thousands of people who are out there with you.

What prompted you to become a member of the SF Bicycle Coalition?

I’ve been meaning to join for a long time. I think bicycling is extremely important, no matter how you do it. I also think it’s important for us to come together to advocate for ourselves because we remain a vulnerable and underrepresented population.

What inspired you to donate both the bike you won in our September Member Drive and two of your own bikes to our Bike it Forwards program?

Bikes get old, and people move on. There was still a lot of life left in my old bikes, but I didn’t use them anymore, and I wanted them to get used. Same sort of deal with the prize bike. I will be riding bikes no matter what, but I imagine there is someone out there who could use and ride that bike, who otherwise would not be riding at all.

New members like Nathan power our work in many ways, from providing funding for programs like our Bike it Forwards program to elevating our voice when we speak out in City Hall. Sign up here to start your membership rolling today!

Become a member and you'll improve your commute and get discounts at shops across the city.