NAME: Jenny Oh
LOCATION: Oakland, CA
OCCUPATION: Associate Producer on KQED’s QUEST—a science, nature and environment television program

Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
I’ve lived all over the U.S. in 7 cities—Chicago, Deerfield and Burr Ridge, IL; Blacksburg, VA; Chattanooga, TN; New York City;—and inhabited 25 different residences. I’ve pedaled through all of them with 18 bikes (13 of them stolen in the bike theft capital of the world, the Big Apple). I headed west to the Bay Area in April ‘06 and I’m here to stay, earthquakes be damned.

Riding in San Francisco is the absolute best. Upon coming from NYC, where commuting by bike can be a tiresome traffic battle, the streets here in comparison seemed completely mellow. There are the infamous hills and headwinds, but you learn to love them and the fitness that goes along with all that effort. And the best reward after climbing upwards is getting a glimpse of the gorgeous landscapes. You’re always surrounded by the ocean and mountains here, and I never get tired of the view.

Why do you love riding in the city?
The cycling community here is so supportive and diverse. You can race in an alleycat or in a crit, play bike polo or race at the local velodrome—or do it all. There’s so much overlap. All of the cyclists here seem to love riding and competing in all disciplines, and it’s really quite inspiring. I only recently bought a fixed gear in June ‘06, but it was my gateway drug to track racing on the Montano Velo Track team beginning in ‘07. I’ll be getting a cross bike in the near future and participating in my first clinic. I’ve also helped to organize the Supermarket Street Sweep for three years, which is a charity bike race that benefits the San Francisco Food Bank. Each year the event gets more sponsors and we’ve raised thousands of pounds of food for the needy, which couldn’t be successful without the incredible enthusiasm of the Bay Area bike community. Most importantly, I love riding here because I have the best biking friends a girl could have. Some of them have built bikes for me, helped me train and encouraged me to race, shown me great routes, and pushed me to ride more than I ever thought I could. My New Year’s resolution is to ride my bike everyday this year, and I’m on Day 293! I’ve had more fun on a bike here than anywhere and I know my biking adventures will only get better.