For years, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition members and staff have been participating in Climate Ride to celebrate bicycling as one of the easiest and most fun ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In June, member Charlie Osborne is taking up the challenge to complete the nearly 300 miles down the California coast to support the work of the SF Bicycle Coalition.
Q: What inspired you to sign up for Climate Ride?
I’ve never done a really long ride before, and that’s part of the reason why I signed up. I’ve always enjoyed riding, but have never been able to do a long ride. The longest ride I’ve ever done was for training, actually. It was 60 miles, starting in the Mission, down to Menlo Park, and coming up the other side of the bay into Oakland. It was relatively flat, which was nice. But, I’ve never done a long ride with hills, and I’ve heard there will be a few of those on Climate Ride…so we’ll see about that.
Q: How did you first start biking?
I always had a bike in Indiana, where I grew up. My siblings and I would bike around the neighborhood quite a bit. What really made biking stick with me, though, was when my family and I went to Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina when I was about ten years old. It was in the woods and had all sorts of wildlife like alligators and armadillos. My favorite thing to do there was to rent a bike and ride around all day looking for wildlife. That was when I really started to love biking, and it’s been with me ever since. I loved the freedom of biking and exploring such a beautiful area.
Q: What does biking mean to you now?
Honestly, biking to work is one of my favorite parts of the day now. It’s a great way to wake up, start the day, and get some exercise in before work.
Q: How are you feeling now that you’re just a few weeks away from the start of the ride?
I’m starting to get really excited—especially with the weather getting nicer. It’ll be five full days of riding, so I’m also getting a bit nervous thinking about how am I going to recover each day and how I can get into top shape. I definitely need to do a couple more long rides, and hopefully one with our whole SF Bicycle Coalition Climate Ride team. Despite that, I’m mostly excited. It’s been a long time in the works now.
Q: What are you most excited about on the Climate Ride?
I’m really looking forward to the five days of freedom, getting to be outside all day, and seeing more of California. I haven’t gotten to get outside of San Francisco too much, so I’m super excited to see the Central Coast. And I’ve never been to Big Sur, but I’ve heard it’s really beautiful. It’s going to be such a change of pace—almost like a vacation.
Support Charlie on his ride by making a donation today.
