Women and Nonbinary Bike Ride take over the Bay Area

For individuals seeking a secure space to chat, ride bikes, and connect with the community, the San Francisco Women and Nonbinary Bike Ride is a perfect fit.

Nancy Botkin is a co-founder of the group, alongside Marie Jona. Having worked at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition a few years ago, Botkin approached the coalition with her idea for the group, which was created about four months into the COVID-19 pandemic.

“[During the pandemic], everyone suffered and cyclists suffered in their own way,” Botkin said. “We, as a group of friends, note, no funder is saying you can’t have a small group of people together with masks on, just organized ourselves.”

The Women and Nonbinary Biking group meet twice a month, every second and fourth Friday. Since the Great Highway was closed during the pandemic, they decided to bike to the beach on JFK and Golden Gate Park.

“It did a lot of good for my mental health,” Botkin said. “I think it did for the other women in the beginning. We rode with masks on, and I was surprised at how many people showed up.”

Though the SF Bicycle Coalition did not fund them, the group was allowed to advertise on their website. During the pandemic, the group was one of the few that had in-person meetings.

“We formed a really wonderful community. People became friends. We shared stories of living through the pandemic together,” Botkin continued.

Julia Oller has been a member of the biking group since the pandemic and moved to San Francisco a little over three years ago. After going through a breakup, she decided to give biking a try.

“There are not a lot of options for people who are intermediate bikers. I was specifically googling intermediate bike rides and this one popped up,” Oller said.

Oller has ridden her bike at almost every single meet-up since January 2021. She made friends and got to know the city better by hanging out with the group.

“I think [the group] has made biking a lot more accessible and a lot less scary,” Oller said. “We have people from 23 to 73 years old. You’re able to have good conversations while we ride out to Ocean Beach. Nancy, the group leader, always brings tea in a thermos. A couple of my good San Francisco friends I made through the bike group.”

Originally from Vancouver, Emma Ng moved to San Francisco last year.

“I was just looking for resources in the city to get to know the bike routes and I came across the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition,” Ng said. “It was definitely a great entry point into the city, making friends in the city, and also establishing a community in the city.”

According to Ng, there is a low barrier to entry for biking.

“You can ride any bike and be a rider of any level,” she said. “We get to see something different and surprising in the park each week, whether it’s a temporary artwork or whales at the beach! It feels like a magic hour that way.”

The Women and Nonbinary biking group is always welcoming new members. For more information, you can visit sfbike.org.