Yotam Rachman: A Paly teen’s discovery of mountain biking within his Palo Alto Community.
Yotam Rachman is a current junior at PALY, who started biking at age four. He loves the thrill he gets from exploring new places on his bike.
“Biking has given me a different perspective on the outdoors than I believe hiking has, I think that biking has shown me more extravagant places,” Rachman said.
On his favorite trail, the “Royal Flush” near Bend, Oregon, Rachman developed his love for the sport.
“This was the most technical trail that I have ever ridden and incorporated big jumps at high speeds with tight turns and large rocks. I was a little bit afraid of riding this trail as it was far from any points of reception and I was alone,” Rachman said.
Trail riding is a tough endeavor, to tap into the right mind space, he often listens to music before he rides,
“I believe that it helps me focus, something that is crucial for safety when going down difficult terrain,” Rachman said.
To keep safe, Rachman prefers to ride in groups.
“I believe that it is a lot more fun to ride with others as you can share the joy of the ride with your friends,” Rachman said.
In Palo Alto, bike culture is increasingly popular, the city has included exceptional safety measures to keep riders secure and comfortable such as bike lanes on most major roads, built in bike racks and separate sidewalks for walkers. Rachman has noticed the difference that the city has made in supporting the biking community.
“I think the larger bike lanes positively impact the community by advocating for more use of bikes,” Rachman said. “I think it is a good use of money because everything in Palo Alto is safe and relatively close so biking is a great option.”
Rachman also identifies with the biking culture spreading throughout the city.
“I think biking is a very important part of Palo Alto’s culture because of California’s big push on eco-sustainability and because we have so much access to bike lanes and sidewalks all around that people use their bikes more than in other places,” Rachman said.
Sabrina Terman: A newfound confidence and competition is rooted in Terman’s endurance cycling.
Junior Sabrina Terman only recently found her love for competitive biking.
“In the past year I’ve started getting into triathlons and endurance cycling,” Terman said. “I like the competition, but I’m really just motivated because I love road biking. I started going on long rides during the pandemic, and it’s just been a great way to get outside and explore.”
While she is a Palo Alto native, Terman finds herself exploring different parts of the Bay Area on her rides.
“I think biking has made me appreciate where I live so much more,” Terman said. “I’ve lived here all my life and I don’t think I really realized how geographically amazing this area is until I started biking long distances. We have oak trees and redwoods, the bay and the Pacific ocean all in one place. You technically could just drive around these places, but I think cycling—whether it’s a 20 or 70 mile ride — forces you to enjoy the journey rather than focus on the destination.”
Just like many others, Terman feels safety is immensely important, she finds herself preferring group rides on public trails. Additionally, she feels that Palo Alto is a supportive and safe environment for young bikers.
“I don’t spend that much time on my rides in Palo Alto, but if I do, I feel pretty safe,” Terman said. “I think cars are more mindful here than in other places just because this area has so many cyclists.From a safety standpoint I really try to avoid biking solo, especially on really long rides. You can be in areas without cell service so having someone with you in case something goes wrong is super important. And honestly I prefer group rides because it’s fun to share the experience with friends.”
Safety is another important factor in the growth of the sport. Terman believes that increasing safety should be a priority and has many ideas to help protect the streets of our city.
“I think adding shoulders to busier streets would make biking a lot safer,” Terman said. “Right now I can think of too many busy streets where cars pass bikers by going into the opposite lane. Especially past 280 on Page Mill and then Skyline Boulevard. While these roads aren’t necessarily in the heart of Palo Alto, there are so many bikers from Palo Alto that bike over there, so I think our city has some responsibility to advocate for it. “
As a key method of transportation, biking is an activity that can be enjoyed at any age or level. Terman believes that Palo Alto should try to retain its reputation as a bike-friendly city.
“I think it is a super important part of our culture because biking is very much relied upon,” Terman said. “In the morning you have students biking to school and people to the train station for work. I see a lot of families with young kids biking together downtown or just on residential streets.”
Erik Taylor: A Paly alum continues his career in dirt biking after high school.
Erik Taylor was a Paly student last year, and he has since pursued his dirt biking career in Texas after graduating.
“I first started riding when Covid happened due to everything being shut down, my older brother fixed up this old bike in the shed, and that was the first dirt bike I had ever ridden,” Taylor said. “It was a ‘95 Honda 50cc”.
Throughout high school, Taylor’s dirt biking career was halted as he struggled to find time due to the commitments required for high school sports.
“Some challenges I faced were not riding enough so I could get more comfortable with the bike and getting used to the clutch on the dirt bike for the first time,” Taylor said.
Other challenges Taylor faced were the lack of popularity in the sport.
“Coming from a town like East Palo Alto, not too many people succeed in sports like dirt biking; the majority play football and aim to make it to the NFL.” Taylor said, ”This motivates me to want to be better every day on the bike.”
Taylor gained a lot of support from his dad through this process.
“He [Taylor’s dad] does everything for me in this sport and how expensive it is, he really just keeps me motivated,” Taylor said.
Taylor also valued how this sport didn’t depend on how big one is, but the amount of skill one has.
“Coming from a school like Paly, I was never the biggest kid growing up,” Taylor said. “What I realized was that dirt biking doesn’t require you to be a big person, it requires grit, perseverance, and consistency.”
Dirt biking was a way for Taylor to express himself and find a sense of belonging within his community. He was able to experience dirt biking in the Palo Alto community and further pursue this in his future.
