Mari Ceja, Roll Model

By Pam Thompson

Mari Ceja.

The Bike Campaign has been helping teachers become roll models, assisting them in making the transition from car to bicycle with quality used bikes and expert advice.

One of those teachers is Davis resident Mari Ceja. She started as a Bike Garage (BG) volunteer at the Woodland BG, and then worked at the Davis BG during the COVID pandemic.

While finishing her graduate studies at the University of California, Davis and working as a substitute teacher in Woodland, Ceja’s car was totaled in a four car crash caused by another driver.

When the insurance payment arrived she considered her options, since thinking about the process of buying another used car “made me sick to my stomach” Ceja said. 

She contacted Maria Contreras Tebbutt from The Bike Campaign (TBC) for advice before the insurance settlement came through, explaining that she was “contemplating commuting on a bike for a while.”

Tebbutt found her a bike, and Ceja found she enjoyed riding. “I’ve been feeling more alive using it; I was able to get lights, and it just feels safer.”

She started cycling from Davis to Woodland, and discovered the mental health benefits that come with riding a bike.

“It was quicker than I expected, although at first my mind had a slight resistance — ‘it will take forever’ — but it did help me work out some frustration I was feeling and made me reflective,” Ceja said.Ceja started expanding her rides, taking the train to Sacramento and bringing her bike along to cycle near the river. She also learned to change the tires, saying it was “so cheap compared to changing car tires and mechanic labor!”

When the weather got rainy, Ceja bought rain gear and kept riding. After a month, she was an experienced bicycle commuter, biking to bus stops, taking her bike with her on public transportation, and finding what methods of cycling worked best for her.

“It is amazing that in some situations for work I bike five minutes and arrive to the campus,” Ceja said. “I don’t feel 100% comfortable taking the lane in the mornings, because after 8:30 there is more traffic. So, I usually get off the bike and use crosswalks. For now this feels good.”Starting this fall Ceja will be working full time in Woodland. She’s going to trade up to a lighter bike, which will be easier to lift when putting it on the bus.

Thanking Tebbutt and the TBC for helping her through a difficult time, Ceja said her bike has become her “primary form of transportation, and while waking up earlier to go to work has not been easy, biking to bus stops and navigating public transportation has gotten easier and less stressful.”

Courtesy photos by Mari’s Housemate Ayanda.