Immediately upon meeting Eris Weaver it becomes apparent the sheer passion she holds for all things cycling. (Fittingly, Weaver biked to Brew Coffee & Beer House in Santa Rosa to be interviewed by NBb.) And her colorful hair seems to be representative of her colorful personality.
Weaver, 65, enthusiastically recalls getting into environmentalism at a young age. Growing up in LA where there is a steady layer of smog, Weaver fell in love with the outdoors when she attended a summer camp in the mountains. The first question she asked herself was: “How do we save this?” This eventually led to Weaver primarily using her bicycle for transportation.
Weaver, a Cotati resident, joined the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition team in 2017 as an outreach and events coordinator—and she is now the executive director. Weaver describes how the goal of the SCBC is to promote cycling for transportation and recreation—this happens through education, encouragement and advocacy. The Bicycle Coalition offers programs dedicated to teaching adults and children how to ride safely and responsibly—as well as media campaigns, cycling events and advocacy work. To learn more and support the SCBC visit bikesonoma.org.
What’s the best part of leading the bicycle coalition?
[I ask myself] how do I continually develop the organization and expand and bring out the best in the people that I have? An article I read once in the Harvard Business Review said there are really only four jobs—creator, maintainer, builder and fixer. And I’m an improver/fixer. Those have been the jobs I have been the happiest in. When I took the ED job I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish, and I made a commitment to myself and to the organization—I won’t leave until I accomplish those.
What pre-SCBC career has been your favorite?
My favorite thing is what I’m into right now. My second favorite job would have probably been [as librarian and educator] for the Petaluma Health Care District. I had a great boss, Damon Doss. He’s retired now but I always try to emulate him as a leader and as a boss. I frequently ask myself, “What would Damon do?”
What’s something that would surprise people about cycling?
When was the last time you felt joy on your morning commute to work? I get it every single day. It’s fun, it feels good, it connects you to your community and the environment around you.
How long does it take you to ride to work? 
I’ve timed this multiple times. If I drive my car to the office during the morning rush, it’s 30 minutes. If I use a combo of my bike and the train it also takes me 30 minutes. When I get to work or home, in whichever direction, I’m in a better mood than when I’m in the car on the freeway.
Talk about the need to add bicycle parking in Sonoma.
There is nowhere to park a bike in [Sonoma], so people are leaning them on trees, locking them to poles and leaning them on the storefronts. I walked around some of the stores, and on the sides of the windows it says, “No Bikes,” because they don’t want bikes blocking their way. But come on, make it easier for people to park a bike and you would have even more people coming in and hanging out downtown. That’s something that we are looking at countywide: Bikes are good for business.
Favorite biking trail in Sonoma County?
My favorite is the one that hasn’t been finished being built yet; we’ve got some nice paths, but they are not as connected up as I would like them to be. So, I use Joe Rodota [Trail] a lot if I have to go to Sebastopol. I would say for the beauty of it, the one I take that is pleasant is the Prince Memorial Greenway Santa Rosa Creek Trail. Some day before I retire, I hope that I can ride all the way from my home in Cotati to my office in Santa Rosa on a continuous bike path.
What is your superpower?
My superpower is I’m the one that is willing to say the thing that everyone is thinking, but are afraid to say—because I don’t need everybody to like me.
What is your perfect vacation?
To be moving every day either back packing or on a bike, just movement. Two of my favorite trips I’ve ever done: One was backpacking the John Muir Trail in the Sierras, solo, that was a three-and-a-half-week trip. And then the other was a backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail in Scotland where Muir was born. Moving is my favorite thing.
What’s one word people would use to describe you?
I would say “outgoing.” I’m kind of a raging extrovert.
