By: Jesse Peers
In our climate, most people ride bikes in the Spring, Summer and Fall and that’s okay! When the cycling scene slows down in November, our cycling Instagram account would go almost completely dark for several months. The thought struck us in 2019 that we could use that time of year to feature guest contributions from local cyclists. It would be a fun way to celebrate biking in Monroe County: Contributors could give us a glimpse of their biking lifestyle, what it means to them, what got them into riding, their favorite places to ride and groups to ride with, etc. It’s become a neat way for cyclists who bike in different ways for different reasons to find commonality.
The #ROCbyBike series has been a hit! Here are the previous season recaps.
- Recap of Seasons 1-3 (2019 to 2022)
- Recap of Season 4 (2022-23)
- Recap of Season 5 (2023-24)
- Recap of Season 6 (2024-25)
We are proud to present below consolidated stories of our contributors from season 7. We hope it inspires you to get out and ride!
Mona Seghatoleslami
Biking is friendship and often leads me to wonderful chance encounters – with people, places, and ideas. I love riding on the canal trail (it’s flat, it’s scenic, it leads to ice cream in at least one direction!), but when I need to get away from the world, the Greenway Trail is the place to be. It really helps to clear my head, whether I am stopping to enjoy the scenery (and some snacks) or just catching glimpses of flowers, critters, weird old architecture, and the rest as I keep rolling.
(six posts Nov 7-20, 2025)
Photo by Carl Pultz
Nita Brown
I got into biking because most of the people in my 5:30am Run n Ride group are avid cyclists.
Two years ago, I found the courage to hop on a bike with Black Girls Do Bike Rochester for their weekly Unity Ride with a police escort. It was such an exhilarating experience to navigate busy city streets and feel completely safe! Buying my first bike in 2025 motivated me to ride as much as possible. With the Flower City Feeling Good rides with Reconnect Rochester on Wednesdays, I push my limits a bit outside my biking comfort zone.
(five posts Nov 21-Dec 3, 2025)
Amanda Wickham
My first bike was my ticket to exploring the world just outside my front door. I rediscovered that feeling in 2016 when I purchased my first adult bike. Cycling became my favorite way to be fully present, a chance to disconnect from everything and just be. I love how a bike ride engages all your senses—the feeling of the road, the sights, the sounds, even the unique smells of a neighborhood. Through Ride Flow, GROC, and Rootz, I aim to inspire more girls and women to experience the joy of off-road cycling. The Rochester cycling community is so vibrant, with so many ways to get involved, from community rides and trail building, and even getting kids on bikes. Find your way to contribute!
(seven posts Dec 5-17, 2025)
Nick Brandreth
I’ve been in love with riding my bike since my feet first touched a pair of pedals as a young boy. My roots are based in freestyle riding, predominantly street and dirt jumping. However, these days I prefer the solitude of riding trails and being in the woods. Riding bikes alone is fun, but nothing is better than riding trails with your buddies. I’ll ride my bike anywhere and everywhere. From the bike paths of downtown Rochester to expert level double black diamonds downhill trails in the mountains. I fear no trail!
(seven posts Dec 19, 2025-Jan 1, 2026)
LuAnn Arena
I have always loved biking. It is the one thing that consistently gives me a feeling of freedom. When Winter is over, Cobbs Hill is usually the first place I ride. I love it there and it tests where I’m at physically at the beginning of the season. Other go-to rides are the Erie Canal Trail & of course the Genesee Riverway Trail with High Falls, Lower Falls, Turning Point Park and Charlotte. I always missed the accessibility to water that we have in Rochester when I lived elsewhere. I love that the river runs right through the City. The improvements that are being made via Roc the Riverway are really exciting!
(six posts Jan 2-15, 2026)
Xavier Hope
My love of biking started only a few years ago. Riding the Erie Canal and Genesee Riverway Trails allowed me to see how beautiful the Greater Rochester area is. Just within city limits there is a lake, a waterfall and a river! From that waterfall, you could bike alongside the river to the lake. That is not something many places on Earth can boast. I love the fact that I could walk/ bike from my home in the city and feel like I am in nature within 10 minutes. Despite being from NYC, one of my life’s mantras is to “live life slow.” To take the time to notice the things around me and leave room for margin in the way I live my life. Biking and walking, experiencing Rochester at 2-15 mph, enables this quite well.
(five posts Jan 17-28, 2026)
Megan Willy
I ride roads and gravel for recreation and some commuting, and this year I started racing for the first time. I love how many awesome trails we have to ride in the area. My spouse and I run Rochester Rainbow Riders, a cycling club for the LGBTQIA+ community. We have an annual Labor Day picnic and ride at Durand Eastman Park. We also do annual rides out to Kelly’s in Hilton for cider and pastries. Last Fall, I rode my first century (100-mile ride) with friends. We started in Scottsville at 6am and rode to Syracuse via the canal trail, through the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, and along the shore of Lake Onondaga. It was such a good time that I did my second century six days later riding to Buffalo. I couldn’t have done it without the support and encouragement of all my friends and family.
(six posts Jan 30-Feb 12, 2026)
Amanda Tucker
I love riding a heavy upright Dutch style step-through bike with a kid on the back. I try to ride as much as I can, especially when the weather is perfect here. I do it for every reason, from transportation, exercise, enjoyment, and slowing down enough to say hi to people on the street to equity, environmentalism, and activism for a people-first city. I mostly just ride as convenience — to and from work, my kids’ schools, the grocery store, kids’ lessons, date nights, etc. I just find it to be a nicer way to get around than a car.
Bikes = freedom! They played an important role in both the women’ s liberation movement and the civil rights movement (all hail Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, and all of the other amazing Rochesterians who contributed to both of these movements). I think about that all the time when I’m riding around town and it helps me feel connected to the rich history here in Rochester.
(five posts Feb 13-25, 2026)
Roger Levy
I started riding when I was 3 and haven’t stopped. In fact, I never learned to drive. I’ve never had a car or license or car insurance. It’s my “peculiar luck” to be able to commute by bicycle.
When I was 16 at East High School, Freewheelers at Culver & Parsells was the closest bike shop. Richard DeSarra and Ted Gunkler founded it in 1970, and took the time to talk & converse. Both were great guys. I bought Freewheelers in 1985 and stayed at that location until 1998, when I moved it to my current location on Mt. Hope.
My favorite places to ride recreationally: I’m a big fan of the Brickyard Trail and Highland Crossing Trail. It’s refreshing riding through wetlands. Also, the Quinn Unique Area (Rush Oak Openings). Roads in Mendon, Honeoye Falls, and Henrietta. Crittenden & East River Roads are traffic-free when it’s not rush hour. I don’t ride in shoulders. I ride in the traffic lane.
(nine posts Feb 27-Mar 11, 2026)
Michelle King
What an enjoyable Summer 2025: certified bike instructors collaborated with the City of Rochester Recreation Department to sponsor Pedal Pioneers, a 4-part bike workshop for young adults ages 10-15. I enjoyed the girls and they learned that there is more to cycling than just hopping on a bicycle and riding off. Workshops were interactive experiences with hands-on learning.
(four posts Mar 13-25, 2026)
Lori Koenick
To me, biking is community, joy, flexibility and opportunity! Bikes are a big reason I fell in love with Rochester when I moved here 6 years ago. So many relatively flat trails and quiet roads, great community, beautiful destinations, such a wonderful place to travel by bike! Numerous beautiful flat trails- rivers, woods, lakes, canals, beautiful downtown architecture, country roads, such a treasure trove to choose from.
Rochester has wonderful, welcoming biking communities and I am so thankful to have been introduced to them. Big shoutouts to KICCC (Keeping it Classy Cycling Club) and Genesee Valley Pathfinders!
(five posts Mar 27-Apr 10, 2026)
If you’re interested in sharing your story for our 2026-27 #ROCbyBike series, reach out to Jesse at cycling@reconnectrochester.org.*
*Diversity is important to us. So, it may take a while to fit you in the queue so we can make spots for other voices.