Meet Napa County's Bike Champion Of The Year

NAPA COUNTY, CA — Napa County resident Kate Miller started riding her bicycle to work in the mid-1980s when she lived in Seattle and was mistaken for a bike messenger, as those were the only people found riding around major cities. She hasn't stopped biking since.

Because Miller continues to inspire bicycling in her community, Bay Area transportation officials named her the 2021 Bike Champion of the Year for Napa County, it was announced this week.

"Given to individuals for inspiring bicycling in their Bay Area communities, this award recognizes an individual (or in one case, a whole family) from each of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties for their commitment to bicycling as the primary mode of transport," said organizers with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and local transportation agencies who put on the annual Bay Area Bike to Work Day, which during the pandemic was changed to Bay Area Bike to Wherever Days.

Organizers of the event also launched the annual Bike Champion of the Year awards, with many of this year's honorees being veteran bike-cruisers who started initiatives to increase the use of bikes as a mode of transportation or have spent years leading by example.

Miller's earliest memory of riding a bike is pedaling around her childhood neighborhood in Castro Valley and avoiding her older brother's attempts to play chicken. She bike-commuted for several years in the Pacific Northwest and continued to do so when she returned to the Bay Area.

For the past several years, Miller has biked the roads and trails of Napa County, where she works as the executive director of the Napa Valley Transportation Authority.

"Even throughout the pandemic, she continues to make a dedicated effort to ride her bike for transportation, like leaving the car behind for shopping trips," organizers said. "You might catch her riding in Carneros — her favorite spot to ride in Napa County."

In addition to Miller, winners this year include Sonia Elkes, from San Mateo County, who founded advocacy group San Carlos Bikes; and David Wood and his three daughters, who ride their bikes to school every day in Santa Clara County.

Hilary Noll, the winner from Marin County, hopes for a future where bike riding is normalized and more accessible.

"People from ages 8 to 80 feeling more comfortable biking for everyday needs," Noll said. "More women riding, especially as commuters. More women- and minority-owned bike shops. A cycling culture in which everyone from elite riders to everyday folks getting started and are welcomed and empowered."

Recipients of the award receive a Tailgator brake light and water bottle from Mike's Bikes, a bicycle-only membership for 24/7 roadside assistance from Better World Club, a laminated set of San Francisco map cards from the Association of Bay Area Governments, and a cycling jersey from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Read more about this year's winners at Bayareabiketowork.com/bike-champions-of-the-year/.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.