Cynthia Tecson / Bikes Del Pueblo

Please introduce yourself by telling us about how you got into riding.

My name is Cynthia and I am a volunteer at Bikes del Pueblo (BdP). I got into riding bikes during my senior year of high school, during a time when the bike scene in San Diego was more underground. I was a punk kid looking for new friends and communities to join when I stumbled across Critical Mass in 2006. And months later I walked into a punk collective house in City Heights where BdP was born. Riding my bike was so liberating at 18 years old, but I was also fascinated by community and how much warmth it offered. And now riding my bike is a tool for empowerment, and I know that riding as a woman, person of color, a mother–could influence and change another person’s life.

Regarding how you contribute to the San Diego Bicycle Community, what are you working on / involved with? 

At Bikes del Pueblo I join my co-volunteers, dedicated folks I call friends, every Sunday in City Heights at our site. We are a bicycle co-op that has been operating since 2007, serving the City Heights community which mostly consists of migrants and refugees, and residents from low socioeconomic backgrounds. We offer a welcoming, safe and inclusive space for people to learn and work on their bikes together with us.  I also ride with SheWolves, a cycling group whose mission is to empower women, femmes and thems to promote cycling for marginalized communities.

What are you currently focused on with all that?

At Bikes del Pueblo, we are focused on a few projects. We recently wrapped up assisting the City of San Diego by connecting with residents from City Heights and Barrio Logan to include their input in the Environmental Justice Element for the City’s General Plan, and was unanimously adopted by council to comply with California’s Planning for Healthy Communities Act (SB 1000). We have been in partnership with the County in the SEEDs project (aka Spring Valley Project), to help develop and implement non-motorized transit audits, and create a blueprint for a bike co-op in Spring Valley. Being a reliable and recognized community based organization for local agencies is very new to BdP, but we are glad to be a part of these projects that will have long lasting impacts on the communities we work with. We still have fun hosting bike rides and collaborating with other grassroots organizations and biking groups. We are also big fans of the arts! We just co-hosted Compost Carnivale with Humble Servants of the Worm, and held two concerts at our lot because we want to be a multi-use space and we want to keep the DIY scene alive. Also, we just released our first ever collaborative zine made by BdP volunteers–it’s called Do-It-Together.

What do you want our readers to know? 

I am so lucky to be involved with Bikes del Pueblo. I am very lucky to know that each of the volunteers are the most hardworking, genuine, loving people I have ever met. Everyone dedicates an entire day helping the community I grew up in, and it means so much to me personally. They continue to show up and demonstrate that they are truly about community building. I love them so much.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

If you are interested in volunteering and being a part of this community, please come by on a Sunday at 3986 El Cajon Blvd. No experience is necessary. BIPOC, LGBTQ+, femmes highly encouraged to join. We are a group of rad folks who love to have fun while working alongside the community.

Lastly, what is your favorite area to ride in San Diego and why? 

I love riding my bike along the airport on Harbor drive because it feels like you’re taking off with them. But really my favorite ride is anywhere with my daughter Beatrice. Those are the moments I feel most grounded.