Running Bike City USA

US Bicycling Hall of Fame Exhibit Hall at one of Davis' many parks.

There is one city in the US that holds the distinction of officially being ‘Bike City, USA’. The city is Davis, situated in northern California, some 18 km (11 mi) west of Sacramento and 113 km (72 mi) northeast of San Francisco. Davis has the highest number of bicycles per person in the entire USA, once held the world record for the largest bicycle parade (2007), and even has the two-wheeled bicycle with the large front wheel and a much-smaller rear wheel, known as penny-farthing, as its official emblem.

Endless bike paths in the city and at the UC Davis campus.

I know Davis quite well. I lived there for five years and have visited the city time and again every time an opportunity arises. In fact, having studied there, the word Davis is permanently etched in my modest résumé.  When I lived there, there were more bikes than people in the entire city! Then, as now, bicycling was a ubiquitous feature of the community.

During school rush hours, negotiating these bike rotundas is a challenge!

Consider these: (a) Davis has numerous bike-only infrastructure such as bike circles or rotundas, wide and dedicated bike lanes and crossings, and for-bike-only traffic signals; (b) some city police officers patrol the city streets on bicycles; (c) traffic violation tickets are issued to those riding bikes at night without a headlight; and (d) party-lovers can be taken into police custody for ‘bicycling under the influence’ or committing BUI!

Even bears bike in Bike City.

Davis is a typical student and science city. In 2006, it was ranked by CNN as the second most educated city in the entire US in terms of the proportion of residents with graduate degrees. For most of the year, some 30,000 students, scientists and professors ride the bike-only paths of the ever-expanding University of California Davis or UC Davis campus.

The Bookhead: Art masterpiece in front of the UC Davis' Shields Library.

In 2009, UC Davis was ranked the 11th best public US university by US News and World Reports and the 108th best in the world (38th in the life sciences) by the THE-QS World University Rankings. In sports, the UC Davis collegiate team has emerged national champions several times in cycling competitions. All bikes on campus must sport California Bicycle license plates or risk being impounded.

My 15K route around campus and on both banks of the Putah Creek.

Running-wise, short races and half-marathons have been held at Davis over the years. The most recent, held last July 24 with more than 1000 participants, was the Davisville Moo-nlight Half-Marathon and 5K, sponsored by the Davis branch of the running, walking, and fitness specialty store Fleet Feet Sports.

Putah Creek: inspiration of the band Credence Clearwater Revival.

Even without the formal races, there are many good running places in Davis, including its numerous parks and the long and winding bike paths. Perhaps the most enticing though is the UC Davis Arboretum where one can run on a 5.6 kilometer paved lane along the banks of Putah Creek that is adorned on both sides by over 4,000 varieties of plants and trees adapted to the northern California’s Mediterranean climate.

Running among redwoods at the UC Davis Arboretum.

To visit other attractions in Bike City USA, one can rent a bike, run, or simply stroll in the city’s favorite get-up: walking shorts. The physically-challenged can also take the trademark London-style red double-decker buses that UC Davis students have operated since 1968.

Hunt Hall: where grandiose experiments supposedly were conducted :-)

So if you happen to be near Sacramento or perhaps visiting the Bay Area, or are on your way to Reno or Lake Tahoe, stop by Davis. But be warned that if you do walk, run, or bike in Bike City USA, as in my case, you’ll likely keep on coming back for more!

Go Ags!