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Bay Area
Bay Area Singles Search for Love on Two Wheels
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Katrina Schwartz/KQED
Three contestants vie for a date in the men-seeking-men round of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Love on Wheels event.
This Valentine's Day, Bay Area singles might have luck finding love on two wheels. At least, that's the experience of some members of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. The group hosts an annual dating game, where contestants are judged by what they ride.
A few hundred people packed a club in the Mission the week before Valentine's Day to watch their fellow cyclists embarrass themselves in the search for love. Contestants asked questions heavy on innuendo, like this one that Divo Mausner put to three men vying for a date with her.
"I would describe my riding style as enthusiastic, passionate and nimble. So I can understand you better as a rider, and therefore as a man, get my wheels spinning and give me the top three adjectives for the way you ride," Mausner said.
Mausner is new to the city and thought the game would be a fun way to meet a guy who shares her interests. "If he rides a bike he's probably fit, eco-conscious and amazing, which is what I'm looking for," she said.
The dating game may seem silly, but people actually meet on bikes. Ian Deleporte met his girlfriend -- and her bike -- on a social ride around the city.
"I saw her bike --this orange bike -- and I thought it was a really, really cool looking bike. Really cool color. And, uh, then I noticed her," he said.
Bike riders also meet in the lanes.
"The thing is when you're in a car, you're surrounded by glass and metal. When you're on a bike and you're at a light, you can say, 'wow, that's an interesting bike, where'd you get that,' or 'I like your lights,'" said Melissa Mermin, a Bike Coalition volunteer and avid urban cyclist.
She says her electric bike gives her a boost over the city's hills and attracts attention when she's on the road.
This Valentine's party is social, but it's also a way for the Bike Coalition to celebrate its successes, like the improved bike lane on Fell Street, one of the city's most traveled routes.
