Organizers of Bay Area Bike to Wherever Days (BTWD) have named Richmond resident Bill Pinkham as a winner of the 2025 Bike Champion of the Year, in memoriam.
The award recognizes individuals nominated by the public for inspiring bicycling in their communities, honoring riders in each of the nine Bay Area counties for their commitment to cycling as a primary mode of transport.
In May 2024, Contra Costa lost a pillar of the bicycle community in Mr. Pinkham. Mr. Pinkham was a familiar face at West Contra Costa Transportation Commission meetings and had a knack for recalling needed improvements to the bicycle network and developing solutions.
Mr. Pinkham loved to bike.
“I ride as much as possible for errands, visits, and meetings, and often pedal for recreation on the weekends,” Mr. Pinkham wrote in a bio. “Bicycling was a big factor in my losing 60 pounds.”
Coming to work with a sincere passion for climate justice, Mr. Pinkham was involved in the Sierra Club, 350.org, El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll, the Richmond Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the BART Bicycle Advisory Task Force, and served as the West County citizen representative to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
His advocacy with the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) began in 2002 and continued with Bike East Bay. He then contributed to the formation of the Richmond Bicycle Advisory Committee.
He also contributed to the first Richmond Bicycle Master Plan, adopted in 2011 and worked to ensure that the Richmond Greenway was delivered. He was one of 800 bicyclists who celebrated the 4th anniversary of opening the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Path.
This report comes courtesy of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
