What Makes Davis, California, a “Biking Capital?”

My map of the Adventure Cycling Organization’s Western Express route – after a pleasant ferry ride from San Francisco and a pass through hilly wine country – guides riders into Davis, California. Prominently noted by the author in its overview section: Davis, just to the west of Sacramento, “is widely known as the bicycle capital of the world” – a lofty title.

I would have pegged Amsterdam or Copenhagen as world biking capitals, but after riding through Davis, it didn’t feel entirely far-fetched, aside from the fact that the city is much smaller than its international peers. If not the capital of the world, then it certainly has standing for “bike capital of the U.S.,” and offers some unique lessons.

Indeed, riding around town, one frequently shares the road with more bikes than cars. Supposedly there are more bikes per capita here than anywhere else in the country. The city’s logo is even a penny-farthing (those old bikes with big front wheels).

Davis holds a platinum ranking as a Bicycle Friendly Community from the League of American Bicyclists, sharing the prestigious ranking with only Boulder and Fort Collins, Colo., Portland, Ore., and Madison, Wisc. So what about biking in Davis crowned the city as the capital of the rest?

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