This year we extended our Bike Champion of the Year awards to recognize others in our community who embody what it means to be a champion for biking in our city. Our SFBike Volunteer Bike Champion of 2025 is Maureen Persico.

For those who have volunteered with our Bike it Forward program, Maureen is a very familiar face. Maureen serves as a volunteer shop assistant; orienting volunteers, coordinating bike donations, repairing bikes, and many things in between and beyond. Donating hundreds of hours of her time over the past year, Maureen Persico has made a huge contribution to SFBike and has exemplified commitment to our mission of promoting the bike for everyday transportation.

What do you do as a volunteer with SFBike?

I primarily volunteer with Bike it Forward to repair bikes and distribute them – I’ve helped out at our volunteer repair nights, making toolkits and explaining BIF’s mission to new volunteers, paired volunteers and answered repair questions. I’ve also helped with bike pickups from folks who are donating to BIF, and attended weekend events distributing bikes. 

What made you want to volunteer with SFBike, and what keeps you coming back?

I love volunteering to support Bike It Forward – it helps me gain as much I real world, hands-on experience as I can while volunteering with BIF so I can get hired as a bicycle mechanic. I also really appreciate working with Alex, who is the kindest and most knowledgeable mentor I could ask for.  

Is there a project or aspect of your volunteer work that you’re especially proud of?

I love the feeling of seeing someone start riding a bike that I’ve fixed and sail off into the sunset – it brings me a lot of joy and fulfillment.  

What advice do you have for someone interested in getting involved with the coalition? 

There are lots of different ways to connect with the Coalition – my recommendation is to talk to the Membership and Volunteer team about your love and they’ll help you find something you especially enjoy doing that also helps support the mission!  

Where is your favorite place to bike?

I love riding down Valencia because I can see where my prior advocacy has finally borne fruit.  Activism gets results!