On September 16, 2026, around 350 of our friends and community members joined Bike East Bay at Preservation Park in Oakland to celebrate our 14th Biketopia. Biketopia is our annual fundraising celebration, and historically it has been our big member party. This year, however, we opened the doors to everyone, and the energy was amazing!
The evening started slightly overcast and windy, but as the VIP hour got going, the sun came out and really showed off Preservation Park’s historic beauty. VIP guests enjoyed curated hors d’oeuvres from Market Hall and a specialty cocktail, the Tour de French 75, made with gin from our gracious donor Longman’s. CalBike Executive Director Kendra Ramsey offered some remarks about the state of bicycle advocacy in California, including some of the challenges and bright points of current e-bike legislation. Guests also got an early look at the astounding 170+ item silent auction.
We opened the event to everyone at 6 pm and the party really got started. Folks enjoyed more delicious food, Drake’s beer, and wine from Beaune Imports. It was wonderful to see old friends reconnecting, new friendships growing, and friendly competition heating up in the auction. We heard from our Co-Executive Directors Jill Holloway, Justin Hu-Nguyen, and Rebecca Saltzman, as well as several of our board members, who, over the course of the evening, helped us raise more than $25,000 – every dollar of which will be matched by a generous donor!
This year’s event featured some fun new activities and ways to engage with attendees, including Cycling Without Age’s trishaw, which made for some cool photo opportunities, and a booth set up by our Presenting Sponsor, Xtracycle. This event couldn’t happen without all of our amazing sponsors, and we’re especially grateful to our Presenting Sponsors, Xtracycle and Sutter Health, for all they did to make the event happen and for showing up to support the event. We’re also so grateful to our volunteers for working tirelessly to create a beautiful and welcoming atmosphere.
Biketopia is a special opportunity to recognize some bike groups and projects that go above and beyond. This year, we recognized the Cross Alameda Trail for the Best Bike Project and Walk Bike Berkeley for the Best Community Advocacy Biketopia awards. We were honored to have many worthy nominees. Alta Bates Summit Medical Center CEO Trevor Brand presented the Best Bike Project award to Mayor Marilyn “Ezzy” Ashcraft, Michaela Wood, and Rochelle Wheeler from the City of Alameda and Denyse Trepanier from Bike Walk Alameda. Xtracycle’s Community Engagement Manager Jamie Tibbetts presented the Best Community Advocacy award to Sam Greenberg, Ben Gerhardstein, and Karen Parolek from Walk Bike Berkeley and Libby Lee-Egan from North Berkeley Now.
Best Bike Project
Cross Alameda Trail
The Cross Alameda Trail is a four-mile bicycling and walking corridor that connects the west side of the island to the east. It’s low-stress and high-comfort, and has made traveling across Alameda safer for people of all ages!
Many groups made this project possible: in 2001, Alameda Open Space and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy were the first to pitch converting the abandoned Alameda Belt Line Railroad into a multi-use trail. Later, the group that became Bike Walk Alameda formed a steering committee to guide plans and ensure the trail was safe for pedestrians and cyclists, the City of Alameda joined in with funding and feasibility studies, and local parks champion Jean Sweeney acquired the rail line and yard to ensure the project could come to life. Construction didn’t begin until 2013…and now finally, over 90% of this project is constructed. We look forward to celebrating its full completion early next year!
Best Community Advocacy
Walk Bike Berkeley
Walk Bike Berkeley is an all-volunteer organization that makes walking and biking in Berkeley safer and more fun for people of all ages and abilities.
Walk Bike Berkley is largely responsible for winning Measure FF funding in 2024, which increased funding for street paving and bikeways. They helped to pass a fantastic bike plan for their city— one of the strongest in the region, which includes a recommendation to study protected bike lanes on San Pablo Ave. And along with North Berkeley Now, they have led the impressive Hopkins Bikeway Campaign, which has spanned many years, tense debates, and heated City Council meetings. They coordinated lawn signs, text campaigns, a “die in,” a Kidical Mass group ride, and many rallies that included neighbors of all ages. As you may know, they recently won a 7-2 vote from City Council in favor of constructing the Hopkins protected bikeway– we look forward to the installation in 2028!
We affirm their perseverance and commitment to local advocacy, and the creativity and intentionality in including people of all ages in their work.
Biketopia offers us a time to reflect on bike wins and projects we’re looking forward to. The feeling we’re taking away from this year’s event is gratitude – for our sponsors, donors, partners, and especially our community. Thank you for making Biketopia an overwhelming success!
The auction is closed now, but peek at the gems we had this year!
Thank You to Our Event Sponsors
Bay Wheels • Lyft • Ellen Shershow Photography • Fehr & Peers • Johnson Controls, Inc. • Kittelson & Associates • Lumos Helmets • Nelson\Nygaard • PlaceWorks • Rad Power Bikes • Veo • The Zinn Law Firm • Arkin Tilt Architects • Bellecci & Associates
AC Transit Director Jean Walsh
Afterguard Sailing Academy
Alameda Point Antiques Fair
BART Director Victor Flores
Beaune Imports
Blue Heron Bikes
Brompton
Clover Interior Design
Eric Monek Anderson
Inside Line Equipment
Jonathan MacMillan
Jon Randell
Laurel Cyclery
Lumos Helmets
Marin Bikes
Mayor Adena Ishii
Mosswood Meltdown
Nika States
Oakland Ballers
Oakland Roots
Prevelo Bikes
Primos Cycles
Rad Power Bikes
Rick Smith
Run Local
Sports Basement
Tern
The Greenway with Mac
Tradewinds Sailing School & Club
Two Wheel Epix
UC Theatre
Woom Bicycles