SVBC Staff Member Tim Oey Awarded Lefkowitz Award by Western Wheelers

The SVBC staff is inspired by Event Coordinator Tim Oey every day – Tim lives a zero-waste lifestyle, bikes every single place he goes, and has biked across America to spread the joy of bike commuting! It was no surprise to us to hear that Tim inspired another group of folks, too. Last month, Tim was honored with the Lefkowitz Award by the Western Wheelers Bicycle Club (WWBC).  The Western Wheelers is a 51-year-old recreational cycling club with 1,000+ members based in Palo Alto.

The Lefkowitz Award is a legacy created by the late Ben Lefkowitz. Ben, formerly a very active member and president of Western Wheelers, was also a strong bicycle advocate.  The city of Palo Alto named the Under-crossing of 101 at Adobe Creek (boundary of Palo Alto Baylands and Shoreline Park near East Meadow Drive) after him. A new bike/pedestrian crossing over 101 will replace this under-crossing.

In 2019, the Western Wheelers hosted Tim Oey to talk called “Riding Across the US to Save the World”. His presentation to the club changed the consumer trash habits of a number of club members and demonstrated his powerful advocacy for cycling.

“We learned a lot from his presentation and saw how appropriate the Lefkowitz Award was for him,” wrote Mona Schorow of WWBC.

Matthew Lefkowitz, son of Ben, called Tim a “deserving recipient” as well.

Tim took some time to answer questions about his history with the bike movement and why he loves biking so much. Read more below, but be warned – reading his words will definitely inspire you to move towards a zero-waste, bike-commuting life!

You’ve been involved with the bicycling movement for quite some time. Can you give us a brief history of your involvement?

Brief is tough. My advocacy started in earnest while attending college in Boston in the 1980s. I did not own a car at that time and biked everywhere year round. I helped organize a cross country fundraising ride for Oxfam America and volunteered with the Boston Area Bicycle Coalition and especially the Charles River Wheelers (CRW). I served as the VP of Rides for the CRW running their year around rides program – a few hundred rides a year. In the 1990s after moving to Silicon Valley I joined the Santa Clara Valley Bicycle Coalition and was one of the founding board members that switched it to become the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. I helped at SVBC bike parking and other events along with Ellen Fletcher, Anne Ng, Don Burnett, Jim Stallman, and Bill Michel. For several years I ran BikeNet on America Online in support of the League of American Bicyclists, Adventure Cycling Association, International Mountain Biking Association, and US Cycling Federation. I served as a commissioner on the first Bicycle Advisory Commission for the City of Sunnyvale. In the 2000s I took a break somewhat while raising kids and doing soccer stuff with them. In the 2010s I served on the board of Friends of Stevens Creek Trail for 10 years as its secretary, then VP, and finally President. I also rejoined the Sunnyvale BPAC and decided to leave my high tech job so I could devote more time to bicycle and environmental advocacy – climate change is an emergency and I decided to act. This culminated in my 5000 mile ride across the US to talk with people about how bicycling and zero waste can make our world safer, healthier and more beautiful. And finally I decided to make it a professional endeavor and joined the SVBC as a paid staffer.

Where did your passion for bicycling start, and why does it continue?

My passion for bicycling started when I first learned to ride in 1st or 2nd grade. It was thrilling to ride around my neighborhood. I continue to be passionate for many reasons – the top one is that it is so much fun!!! Guess I’m just addicted to the endorphin rush I get from biking. Additionally, I am a passionate efficiency and environmental advocate. Bicycling is the most efficient form of transportation humankind has yet invented. We have a climate emergency and bicycling is a relatively easy and high impact way to make a difference.

You’ve volunteered a lot to be honored with the Lefkowitz Award from Western Wheelers. Tell us about that. Why do you work so hard for bicycling?

I work so hard for bicycling because it has dozens of HUGE benefits: save lives, save our kids, save our planet, save wildlife, reduce pollution, reduce traffic congestion, reduce global warming, reduce resource waste, get friendlier neighborhoods, get exercise, get high for free on endorphins, increase health, enjoy food more (Ride to Eat, Eat to Ride!), increase equity, get to work/school/shopping & everywhere, have fun, and save money all at the same time. That’s a lot of win-win-win-wins! If everyone biked everywhere everyday, we would have saved our world already.

What have been some of your most memorable experiences related to bike advocacy?

The relaxing joy of riding beautiful new trails. The thrill of teaching someone to ride a bike and seeing them “fly” for the very first time. The energy I got from bicycling across our beautiful country and meeting thousands of fantastic people.

What do you wish more people knew about bicycling and protecting the environment?

People already know the many benefits of bicycling that I enumerated above, but I wish more people would *remember* them and take action – yes we do need to save the world for our kids and yes you can bike everywhere and it’s fun!

Anything else?

Just get your butt on a bike and enjoy the great weather and excellent roads we have in the Bay Area. There is no bad weather, only bad clothing choices.