Maryann Jones Thompson

Mixed emotions greet the return of drivers to the streets of San Francisco:&nbsp; Once welcomed as a sign that life might be returning to normal, jammed roadways are quickly becoming as frustrating as ever.

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<p>Mixed emotions greet the return of drivers to the streets of San Francisco:&nbsp; Once welcomed as a sign that life might be returning to normal, jammed roadways are quickly becoming as frustrating as ever.</p>

Two girls were injured in a shooting late on New Year's Day, police said.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/trafic.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48113"/><figcaption>Cars pass through Potrero Hill on March 3, 2022. | Camille Cohen</figcaption></figure>


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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/trafic.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48113"/><figcaption>Cars pass through Potrero Hill on March 3, 2022. | Camille Cohen</figcaption></figure>

A roundup of the latest indicators show that traffic is indeed back.&nbsp;

<p>A roundup of the latest indicators show that traffic is indeed back.&nbsp;</p>

Highway speeds around the city have slowed down to what they were before the shutdown, according to the <a href="https://covid-congestion.sfcta.org/">San Francisco County Transportation Authority.</a> In March, evening rush hour drives dropped to an average of 25.9 miles-per-hour, nearing the 25.2 mph speeds recorded prior to the March 2020 shutdown.

<p>Highway speeds around the city have slowed down to what they were before the shutdown, according to the <a href="https://covid-congestion.sfcta.org/">San Francisco County Transportation Authority.</a> In March, evening rush hour drives dropped to an average of 25.9 miles-per-hour, nearing the 25.2 mph speeds recorded prior to the March 2020 shutdown.</p>

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Commuters returning to the city are choosing to drive across a bridge, leading to much of the slowdown. Because of Covid-related concerns, many long-distance commuter buses are still offline. The increased number of drivers pushed the total of <a href="https://mtc.ca.gov/tools-resources/data-tools/monthly-transportation-statistics">Bay Bridge</a> and <a href="https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/history-research/statistics-data/monthly-traffic-crossings/">Golden Gate</a> crossings to near 5.1 million in March, a level just shy of the 5.2 million drivers that crossed in February 2020.

<p>Commuters returning to the city are choosing to drive across a bridge, leading to much of the slowdown. Because of Covid-related concerns, many long-distance commuter buses are still offline. The increased number of drivers pushed the total of <a href="https://mtc.ca.gov/tools-resources/data-tools/monthly-transportation-statistics">Bay Bridge</a> and <a href="https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/history-research/statistics-data/monthly-traffic-crossings/">Golden Gate</a> crossings to near 5.1 million in March, a level just shy of the 5.2 million drivers that crossed in February 2020.</p>

Commuters may be turning to public transport for relief. <a href="https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2020/news20200225">BART served upwards of 150,000 riders</a> on Wednesday, the most since March 2020 and up to 37% of a pre-pandemic April workday.&nbsp;

<p>Commuters may be turning to public transport for relief. <a href="https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2020/news20200225">BART served upwards of 150,000 riders</a> on Wednesday, the most since March 2020 and up to 37% of a pre-pandemic April workday.&nbsp;</p>

And as <a href="https://sfstandard.com/business/return-to-office-sf-london-breed-google/">workers slowly return to the city</a>, BART data show an increasing number of riders disembarking downtown. Before the pandemic, the Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell and Civic Center stations regularly accounted for an average of 34% of exits from the BART system; in March, that percentage continued its slow-but-steady rise, edging up to 29% of total riders.

<p>And as <a href="https://sfstandard.com/business/return-to-office-sf-london-breed-google/">workers slowly return to the city</a>, BART data show an increasing number of riders disembarking downtown. Before the pandemic, the Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell and Civic Center stations regularly accounted for an average of 34% of exits from the BART system; in March, that percentage continued its slow-but-steady rise, edging up to 29% of total riders.</p>

Perhaps efforts by City Hall and major employers to lure workers back to downtown offices are beginning to bear fruit. Mayor Breed headlined <a href="https://sfstandard.com/business/return-to-office-sf-london-breed-google/">Google&#8217;s official “welcome back” party</a> on Wednesday that drew hundreds of workers.&nbsp;

<p>Perhaps efforts by City Hall and major employers to lure workers back to downtown offices are beginning to bear fruit. Mayor Breed headlined <a href="https://sfstandard.com/business/return-to-office-sf-london-breed-google/">Google's official “welcome back” party</a> on Wednesday that drew hundreds of workers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Perhaps efforts by City Hall and major employers to lure workers back to downtown offices are beginning to bear fruit. Mayor Breed headlined <a href="https://sfstandard.com/business/return-to-office-sf-london-breed-google/">Google&#8217;s official “welcome back” party</a> on Wednesday that drew hundreds of workers.&nbsp;</p>

New data show San Franciscans went to work this week more than any other time since the shutdown began. Wednesday’s<a href="https://www.kastle.com/safety-wellness/getting-america-back-to-work/"> Kastle Systems’ card entry systems</a> show more than 35% of SF workers went to the office.

<p>New data show San Franciscans went to work this week more than any other time since the shutdown began. Wednesday’s<a href="https://www.kastle.com/safety-wellness/getting-america-back-to-work/"> Kastle Systems’ card entry systems</a> show more than 35% of SF workers went to the office.</p>

But given Los Angeles hit 40% and Austin reached 60% of pre-pandemic office attendance, SF still has many more desks to fill.

<p>But given Los Angeles hit 40% and Austin reached 60% of pre-pandemic office attendance, SF still has many more desks to fill.</p>

And even as commuters return to city streets, no one expects traffic patterns will return to “normal.”&nbsp;

<p>And even as commuters return to city streets, no one expects traffic patterns will return to “normal.”&nbsp;</p>

Flexible schedules will likely prevail. In fact, only <a href="https://www.bayareacouncil.org/transportation/employer-survey-data-show-employees-beginning-to-return-to-work-with-almost-70-of-companies-anticipating-new-normal-operations-by-summer%EF%BF%BC/">42% of Bay Area companies surveyed</a> say they’re returning to a typical 9-to-5 schedule and only 15% say they’ll require employees to be in the office every day.

<p>Flexible schedules will likely prevail. In fact, only <a href="https://www.bayareacouncil.org/transportation/employer-survey-data-show-employees-beginning-to-return-to-work-with-almost-70-of-companies-anticipating-new-normal-operations-by-summer%EF%BF%BC/">42% of Bay Area companies surveyed</a> say they’re returning to a typical 9-to-5 schedule and only 15% say they’ll require employees to be in the office every day.</p>

How will the new work week impact traffic? Employers say 62% of their workforce will be at their desks on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.&nbsp;

<p>How will the new work week impact traffic? Employers say 62% of their workforce will be at their desks on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.&nbsp;</p>

The new schedule has allowed “Monday light” to join “Friday light” in the lexicon of traffic reporting: Less than half of workers are expected to show up on Mondays and only 40% on Fridays.

<p>The new schedule has allowed “Monday light” to join “Friday light” in the lexicon of traffic reporting: Less than half of workers are expected to show up on Mondays and only 40% on Fridays.</p>

And the full realization of this “new normal” may be just a month away: <a href="https://www.bayareacouncil.org/transportation/employer-survey-data-show-employees-beginning-to-return-to-work-with-almost-70-of-companies-anticipating-new-normal-operations-by-summer%EF%BF%BC/">Two-thirds of Bay Area companies</a> predicted their workers to be back at work and on their post-pandemic schedules to be in place by June.&nbsp;

<p>And the full realization of this “new normal” may be just a month away: <a href="https://www.bayareacouncil.org/transportation/employer-survey-data-show-employees-beginning-to-return-to-work-with-almost-70-of-companies-anticipating-new-normal-operations-by-summer%EF%BF%BC/">Two-thirds of Bay Area companies</a> predicted their workers to be back at work and on their post-pandemic schedules to be in place by June.&nbsp;</p>

In San Francisco, the verdict is out on what a post-pandemic work world will look like. With big tech firms like Paypal and Build leaving the city and others like Airbnb going remote, downtown may be years away from a recovery. In fact, city budget experts now estimate that <a href="https://sfstandard.com/business/remote-work-san-francisco-downtown/">33% of SF office workers will telecommute long term</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<p>In San Francisco, the verdict is out on what a post-pandemic work world will look like. With big tech firms like Paypal and Build leaving the city and others like Airbnb going remote, downtown may be years away from a recovery. In fact, city budget experts now estimate that <a href="https://sfstandard.com/business/remote-work-san-francisco-downtown/">33% of SF office workers will telecommute long term</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

One thing’s for sure: San Franciscans are spending less time at home. Google Mobility data shows a steady decrease in time spent in residential areas and a steady increase in time spent everywhere else.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<p>One thing’s for sure: San Franciscans are spending less time at home. Google Mobility data shows a steady decrease in time spent in residential areas and a steady increase in time spent everywhere else.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

And even in urban San Francisco, that shift translates to more traffic.&nbsp;

<p>And even in urban San Francisco, that shift translates to more traffic.&nbsp;</p>

Slow jammed: Is SF traffic getting back to normal?

Daniel Moore

Teddy Hayden does not seem afraid of death.

<p>Teddy Hayden does not seem afraid of death. </p>

That’s what I’m thinking as I watch him bomb down Hyde Street on a mud-caked Dreadnought V2 mountain bike one sunny morning in January. Hyde is one of the city’s steepest streets; newcomers get nervous going down it by car. Hayden, however, takes it casually, threading cable cars and Waymos and unsuspecting tourists like he’s just passing through town. Then, about halfway down, he leans back, lifts his front tire, and rides the rest of the way <em>on one wheel</em>, which somehow makes him go faster. Tourists pause and point, agog. 

<p>That’s what I’m thinking as I watch him bomb down Hyde Street on a mud-caked Dreadnought V2 mountain bike one sunny morning in January. Hyde is one of the city’s steepest streets; newcomers get nervous going down it by car. Hayden, however, takes it casually, threading cable cars and Waymos and unsuspecting tourists like he’s just passing through town. Then, about halfway down, he leans back, lifts his front tire, and rides the rest of the way <em>on one wheel</em>, which somehow makes him go faster. Tourists pause and point, agog. </p>

As his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/teddy.hayden/">Instagram</a> attests, Hyde’s nothing for Hayden. For the last nine months, either with a GoPro strapped to his helmet or a drone fluttering behind his head, Hayden, 26, has been filming himself braving every death-defying descent — paved, rock-strewn, staired, and bushy — San Francisco has to offer. He’s clattered down rickety aluminum scaffolds, fog-slick brick walkways, the Lombard and Greenwich Street steps, hidden footpaths on Strawberry Hill, concrete ruins around the old Sutro Baths, and crooked rocky outcrops near Land’s End and Mile Rock Beach, usually at high speed, always in good humor. “It’s fun,” he tells me coolly, as we walk his bike back up Hyde. “You feel alive riding something that maybe nobody’s ridden before — or that you shouldn’t be riding.” 

<p>As his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/teddy.hayden/">Instagram</a> attests, Hyde’s nothing for Hayden. For the last nine months, either with a GoPro strapped to his helmet or a drone fluttering behind his head, Hayden, 26, has been filming himself braving every death-defying descent — paved, rock-strewn, staired, and bushy — San Francisco has to offer. He’s clattered down rickety aluminum scaffolds, fog-slick brick walkways, the Lombard and Greenwich Street steps, hidden footpaths on Strawberry Hill, concrete ruins around the old Sutro Baths, and crooked rocky outcrops near Land’s End and Mile Rock Beach, usually at high speed, always in good humor. “It’s fun,” he tells me coolly, as we walk his bike back up Hyde. “You feel alive riding something that maybe nobody’s ridden before — or that you shouldn’t be riding.” </p>

Teddy Hayden makes his way down Rocky Outcrop Park near 14th Ave. and Ortega Street in the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood of San Francisco on Friday, Jan. 7, 2025. Teddy Hayden is a championship-winning mountain biker from Marin. He’s also the founder of Cyclo, a cycling app. But if you know him, it’s probably from his Instagram profile, where he posts dizzying Go-pro videos of himself descending vertiginous urban declines on his bike like a psychopath.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="2453" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/teddy-trail1.jpg?w=2500" alt="A person is mountain biking downhill on a dirt trail, wearing a helmet and a purple shirt. There's a large tree and a cityscape in the background." class="wp-image-356342"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hayden records a Go-Pro video while plummeting down a walking path at Rocky Outcrop Park near 14th Ave.</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/teddy-trail1.jpg?w=2500" alt="A person is mountain biking downhill on a dirt trail, wearing a helmet and a purple shirt. There's a large tree and a cityscape in the background." class="wp-image-356342"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hayden records a Go-Pro video while plummeting down a walking path at Rocky Outcrop Park near 14th Ave.</figcaption></figure>

Since he started posting them nine months ago, Hayden’s urban mountain biking videos have racked up millions of views; each week, a new one seems to go viral. It’s not hard to see why. The videos are thrilling; the first-person POV evokes the same gut-deep sense of incipient catastrophe you get riding a roller coaster or walking a VR tightrope. They’re also genuinely impressive: For the dexterity and adroitness of the handling on display, the sheer strength required to ride as fast and with as much control as he does, the videos evince serious, labored-over skill.&nbsp;

<p>Since he started posting them nine months ago, Hayden’s urban mountain biking videos have racked up millions of views; each week, a new one seems to go viral. It’s not hard to see why. The videos are thrilling; the first-person POV evokes the same gut-deep sense of incipient catastrophe you get riding a roller coaster or walking a VR tightrope. They’re also genuinely impressive: For the dexterity and adroitness of the handling on display, the sheer strength required to ride as fast and with as much control as he does, the videos evince serious, labored-over skill.&nbsp;</p>

But not everyone’s a fan; when he documents himself riding San Francisco’s green spaces, most of which prohibit mountain bikes, commenters accuse Hayden of disturbing native plants, annoying hikers, and worse. Some point out that he’s breaking the law. The San Francisco Transportation Code forbids riding a bike on city sidewalks, let alone historic staircases. The National Park Service, which manages the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, forbids riding mountain bikes anywhere other than designated trails. (Trails used by hikers and equestrians are off-limits.) The Marin Municipal Water District, which manages trails in the Mount Tamalpais Watershed, doesn’t allow mountain bikers on any trails at all. (Per Marin Water District Code section 9.04.002, bicycles are allowed only on public roads, parking lots, and fire roads in the Mount Tamalpais Watershed.)

<p>But not everyone’s a fan; when he documents himself riding San Francisco’s green spaces, most of which prohibit mountain bikes, commenters accuse Hayden of disturbing native plants, annoying hikers, and worse. Some point out that he’s breaking the law. The San Francisco Transportation Code forbids riding a bike on city sidewalks, let alone historic staircases. The National Park Service, which manages the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, forbids riding mountain bikes anywhere other than designated trails. (Trails used by hikers and equestrians are off-limits.) The Marin Municipal Water District, which manages trails in the Mount Tamalpais Watershed, doesn’t allow mountain bikers on any trails at all. (Per Marin Water District Code section 9.04.002, bicycles are allowed only on public roads, parking lots, and fire roads in the Mount Tamalpais Watershed.)</p>

Hayden admits that flouting the rules is a big part of what makes his rides fun; what few trails <em>are</em> available to mountain bikers in San Francisco tend to be for beginners, he says, with very little open to anyone looking to push their abilities. Venturing out beyond those trails functions as a form of vigilante protest. Hayden insists he’s careful about where and how he rides — always mapping his lines, coordinating with pedestrians and passersby, and taking pains not to disturb native plants or protected areas. “If you watch my videos, you’ll see I’m responsible,” he says.&nbsp;

<p>Hayden admits that flouting the rules is a big part of what makes his rides fun; what few trails <em>are</em> available to mountain bikers in San Francisco tend to be for beginners, he says, with very little open to anyone looking to push their abilities. Venturing out beyond those trails functions as a form of vigilante protest. Hayden insists he’s careful about where and how he rides — always mapping his lines, coordinating with pedestrians and passersby, and taking pains not to disturb native plants or protected areas. “If you watch my videos, you’ll see I’m responsible,” he says.&nbsp;</p>

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Concerns about conservation and safety are legitimate, especially when you consider the prospect of other mountain bikers attempting to copy the way Hayden rides. Yet such concerns might be partially mitigated by the fact that very few people <em>can</em> ride a mountain bike where or how Hayden does, nor would most ever choose to.

<p>Concerns about conservation and safety are legitimate, especially when you consider the prospect of other mountain bikers attempting to copy the way Hayden rides. Yet such concerns might be partially mitigated by the fact that very few people <em>can</em> ride a mountain bike where or how Hayden does, nor would most ever choose to. </p>

Hayden’s built like a running back, with stocky shoulders, thick wrists, and calves like carved wood. The death-defying project he has undertaken is an athletic one, not driven by a quest for fame. He does not self-identify as a content creator. Rather, he’s one of the best and most passionate downhill mountain bikers in the Bay Area, and an essential member of the region’s proud — yet long-suffering — mountain biking community. He has ties to the founding of the sport. He also believes he’s playing a role in the ongoing political battle over its future.

<p>Hayden’s built like a running back, with stocky shoulders, thick wrists, and calves like carved wood. The death-defying project he has undertaken is an athletic one, not driven by a quest for fame. He does not self-identify as a content creator. Rather, he’s one of the best and most passionate downhill mountain bikers in the Bay Area, and an essential member of the region’s proud — yet long-suffering — mountain biking community. He has ties to the founding of the sport. He also believes he’s playing a role in the ongoing political battle over its future.</p>

“The region has this crazy, untapped potential,” he says as we hoof halfway up Hyde, a cable car jingling by. “It <em>should </em>be one of the best places to mountain bike in the world, but it’s not. It’d be cool to change that.”

<p>“The region has this crazy, untapped potential,” he says as we hoof halfway up Hyde, a cable car jingling by. “It <em>should </em>be one of the best places to mountain bike in the world, but it’s not. It’d be cool to change that.”</p>

Golden Gate Bridge and the Coastal Trail viewed from the Lands End Trail parking lot in April 10, April 2019.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="2277" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/coastal_trail_and_golden_gate_bridge_april_2019.jpg?w=2500" alt="A coastal view shows a winding path bordered by lush trees, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance under a clear blue sky." class="wp-image-356355"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The National Park Service, which manages the Golden Gate National Recreation Area that includes Land&#8217;s End, forbids riding mountain bikes anywhere other than designated trails.</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/coastal_trail_and_golden_gate_bridge_april_2019.jpg?w=2500" alt="A coastal view shows a winding path bordered by lush trees, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance under a clear blue sky." class="wp-image-356355"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The National Park Service, which manages the Golden Gate National Recreation Area that includes Land's End, forbids riding mountain bikes anywhere other than designated trails.</figcaption></figure>

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/coastal_trail_and_golden_gate_bridge_april_2019.jpg?w=2500" alt="A coastal view shows a winding path bordered by lush trees, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance under a clear blue sky." class="wp-image-356355"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The National Park Service, which manages the Golden Gate National Recreation Area that includes Land&#8217;s End, forbids riding mountain bikes anywhere other than designated trails.</figcaption></figure>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teddy-s-insane">&#8216;Teddy’s insane&#8217;</h2>


core/heading

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teddy-s-insane">'Teddy’s insane'</h2>

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teddy-s-insane">&#8216;Teddy’s insane&#8217;</h2>

As recounted in films such as “Klunkerz” and books like “The Birth of Dirt,” the Bay Area is the proud birthplace of mountain biking. In the 1970s, a handful of competitive road cyclists living in Fairfax started augmenting old, fat-tire Schwinn bikes with spare parts scavenged from local shops and taking them down deserted trails on Mount Tamalpais. They scratched their own trails between fire roads. They lugged in kegs of beer and raced for bags of pot. Any time they spent away from the mountain they spent fixing their bikes, so they could get back on it. “A party in the woods,” recalls Gary Fisher, one of the Mount Tam pioneers.

<p>As recounted in films such as “Klunkerz” and books like “The Birth of Dirt,” the Bay Area is the proud birthplace of mountain biking. In the 1970s, a handful of competitive road cyclists living in Fairfax started augmenting old, fat-tire Schwinn bikes with spare parts scavenged from local shops and taking them down deserted trails on Mount Tamalpais. They scratched their own trails between fire roads. They lugged in kegs of beer and raced for bags of pot. Any time they spent away from the mountain they spent fixing their bikes, so they could get back on it. “A party in the woods,” recalls Gary Fisher, one of the Mount Tam pioneers.</p>

Another of the originals was Otis Guy. A former high school mountain biking coach and the current director of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in Fairfax, Guy became one of the best in the world after the sport blew up in the 1980s and remains a loyal steward of its culture in the Bay Area. That’s why he got into coaching. It’s also how he knows Hayden. “Teddy is a supremely skilled rider and an all-around great kid,” he tells me. “Fun to coach against. Great energy.”

<p>Another of the originals was Otis Guy. A former high school mountain biking coach and the current director of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in Fairfax, Guy became one of the best in the world after the sport blew up in the 1980s and remains a loyal steward of its culture in the Bay Area. That’s why he got into coaching. It’s also how he knows Hayden. “Teddy is a supremely skilled rider and an all-around great kid,” he tells me. “Fun to coach against. Great energy.”</p>

“Teddy’s insane,” says Kyle Peck, a former professional BMX rider turned enduro racer who moonlights as a photographer for <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mashsf">MASH SF</a>, a renowned cycling collective. “He’s just gifted. The fastest guy around.” 

<p>“Teddy’s insane,” says Kyle Peck, a former professional BMX rider turned enduro racer who moonlights as a photographer for <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mashsf">MASH SF</a>, a renowned cycling collective. “He’s just gifted. The fastest guy around.” </p>

Hayden is a product of the culture Guy, Fisher, and all the rest built 50 years ago. He was born in San Francisco and raised in San Quentin Village, though his upbringing had “nothing to do with the prison,” he says. “My dad is a draftsman, and my mom works at a nonprofit. They were renting a house there, and the owner offered them a good deal.”

<p>Hayden is a product of the culture Guy, Fisher, and all the rest built 50 years ago. He was born in San Francisco and raised in San Quentin Village, though his upbringing had “nothing to do with the prison,” he says. “My dad is a draftsman, and my mom works at a nonprofit. They were renting a house there, and the owner offered them a good deal.” </p>

He started riding mountain bikes as a kid, and by the time he was a freshman in high school, he harbored dreams of competing professionally. In 2015, as a 16-year-old sophomore, he won the Junior Men’s Enduro National Championship. He left school and started competing in the Enduro World Series, the major leagues of competitive mountain biking. In his first-ever Enduro World Series race, in Crested Butte, Colorado, he placed second, beating college-age competitors. 

<p>He started riding mountain bikes as a kid, and by the time he was a freshman in high school, he harbored dreams of competing professionally. In 2015, as a 16-year-old sophomore, he won the Junior Men’s Enduro National Championship. He left school and started competing in the Enduro World Series, the major leagues of competitive mountain biking. In his first-ever Enduro World Series race, in Crested Butte, Colorado, he placed second, beating college-age competitors. </p>

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A few days after that first season ended, however, Hayden dislocated his shoulder while riding with a friend. Recovery was long and frustrating. He struggled to get back into shape for the next season. When he managed to get back on the bike, he performed poorly, at least by his standards. And that was basically it for Hayden, competitively speaking.

<p>A few days after that first season ended, however, Hayden dislocated his shoulder while riding with a friend. Recovery was long and frustrating. He struggled to get back into shape for the next season. When he managed to get back on the bike, he performed poorly, at least by his standards. And that was basically it for Hayden, competitively speaking. </p>

He went back to school, and though he flirted with professional racing on and off for several years, he has by and large lived a normal life ever since. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz in 2022 and moving back to San Francisco, he started organizing group rides in the city — and filming himself exploring new spots. 

<p>He went back to school, and though he flirted with professional racing on and off for several years, he has by and large lived a normal life ever since. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz in 2022 and moving back to San Francisco, he started organizing group rides in the city — and filming himself exploring new spots. </p>

“One of the first things he said to me was, ‘I want to meet everyone who mountain bikes in this city,” says Ellie Curtis, a former all-American skier whom Hayden turned on to mountain biking several years ago. “He had this vision for bringing people together who ride.”&nbsp;

<p>“One of the first things he said to me was, ‘I want to meet everyone who mountain bikes in this city,” says Ellie Curtis, a former all-American skier whom Hayden turned on to mountain biking several years ago. “He had this vision for bringing people together who ride.”&nbsp;</p>

That’s his main inspiration now, and far more than collecting followers, it’s what he most wants to achieve with his videos. “There are lots of people who live here and own a mountain bike but don’t know what to do with it,” he tells me on the corner of Hyde and Lombard, the sun just starting to set into the blemishless blue sky — perfect for filming. “I want to meet those people. I want to grow our community.”

<p>That’s his main inspiration now, and far more than collecting followers, it’s what he most wants to achieve with his videos. “There are lots of people who live here and own a mountain bike but don’t know what to do with it,” he tells me on the corner of Hyde and Lombard, the sun just starting to set into the blemishless blue sky — perfect for filming. “I want to meet those people. I want to grow our community.”</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="2500" width="2447" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/teddy-rockroll21.jpg?w=2447" alt="A cyclist in a purple shirt rides downhill on a rocky slope. In the background, there's a white house with arched windows and a tall structure to the left." class="wp-image-356340"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The birthplace of the sport is also a pretty bad place to be a mountain biker.</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/teddy-rockroll21.jpg?w=2447" alt="A cyclist in a purple shirt rides downhill on a rocky slope. In the background, there's a white house with arched windows and a tall structure to the left." class="wp-image-356340"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The birthplace of the sport is also a pretty bad place to be a mountain biker.</figcaption></figure>

The community, as it happens, wants the same. For many years, Bay Area mountain biking has been ensnared in a confounding paradox. The birthplace of the sport — geographically blessed and temperate, with a playground of old-growth redwood groves and shaded subtropical forests containing trails that splay playfully into the Pacific — is also a pretty bad place to be a mountain biker.

<p>The community, as it happens, wants the same. For many years, Bay Area mountain biking has been ensnared in a confounding paradox. The birthplace of the sport — geographically blessed and temperate, with a playground of old-growth redwood groves and shaded subtropical forests containing trails that splay playfully into the Pacific — is also a pretty bad place to be a mountain biker.</p>

For more than 40 years, the California Native Plant Society, the Marin Audubon Society, and the Marin Conservation League, among others, have lobbied to ban mountain biking on public trails. Their efforts have proved remarkably successful. Mountain bikes have been banned since 1984 on Mount Tamalpais — the same mountain where Guy, Fisher, and Joe Breeze basically invented the sport.&nbsp;

<p>For more than 40 years, the California Native Plant Society, the Marin Audubon Society, and the Marin Conservation League, among others, have lobbied to ban mountain biking on public trails. Their efforts have proved remarkably successful. Mountain bikes have been banned since 1984 on Mount Tamalpais — the same mountain where Guy, Fisher, and Joe Breeze basically invented the sport.&nbsp;</p>

“It was not a well-understood sport at first, and land managers had a knee-jerk reaction,” explains Vernon Huffman, founder of Access4Bikes, a Marin-based nonprofit dedicated to expanding trail access for mountain bikers. “Unfortunately, there’s a long history of opposition to any improvements to bike access in the Bay Area. We call ourselves the home of mountain biking, but we just don’t provide the level of mountain biking the moniker deserves.”

<p>“It was not a well-understood sport at first, and land managers had a knee-jerk reaction,” explains Vernon Huffman, founder of Access4Bikes, a Marin-based nonprofit dedicated to expanding trail access for mountain bikers. “Unfortunately, there’s a long history of opposition to any improvements to bike access in the Bay Area. We call ourselves the home of mountain biking, but we just don’t provide the level of mountain biking the moniker deserves.”</p>

Today, groups like A4B work to build new trails, change existing trail use designations, publish research proving the sport’s compatibility with other popular trail uses, and elect sympathetic lawmakers. Progress has been slow. In California, changing a public trail’s use designation is a multi-year endeavor, requiring environmental studies and approvals, and progress can be upended on the back of even a single lawsuit, as <a href="https://www.marinij.com/2024/12/07/marin-judge-prohibition-on-mount-tam-bike-programs-extended/">happened recently</a>.&nbsp;

<p>Today, groups like A4B work to build new trails, change existing trail use designations, publish research proving the sport’s compatibility with other popular trail uses, and elect sympathetic lawmakers. Progress has been slow. In California, changing a public trail’s use designation is a multi-year endeavor, requiring environmental studies and approvals, and progress can be upended on the back of even a single lawsuit, as <a href="https://www.marinij.com/2024/12/07/marin-judge-prohibition-on-mount-tam-bike-programs-extended/">happened recently</a>.&nbsp;</p>

Yet the community remains hopeful it will succeed in challenging the long-entrenched restrictions. One reason for hope is how quickly the sport is growing. Today, not only do many high schools in Marin County have mountain biking teams, but so do many middle schools. The key, as Huffman sees it, is finding creative ways to grow the sport. Which is where Hayden and his viral videos comes in. 

<p>Yet the community remains hopeful it will succeed in challenging the long-entrenched restrictions. One reason for hope is how quickly the sport is growing. Today, not only do many high schools in Marin County have mountain biking teams, but so do many middle schools. The key, as Huffman sees it, is finding creative ways to grow the sport. Which is where Hayden and his viral videos comes in. </p>

“Teddy’s a huge part of this movement,” Huffman tells me. “He’s looked up to by younger kids. Because of him, more people know this is here, and that we’re growing.”&nbsp;

<p>“Teddy’s a huge part of this movement,” Huffman tells me. “He’s looked up to by younger kids. Because of him, more people know this is here, and that we’re growing.”&nbsp;</p>

Teddy Hayden poses for a portraits atop Rocky Outcrop Park near 14th Ave. and Ortega Street in the Golden Gate Heights neighborhood of San Francisco on Friday, Jan. 7, 2025. Teddy Hayden is a championship-winning mountain biker from Marin. He’s also the founder of Cyclo, a cycling app. But if you know him, it’s probably from his Instagram profile, where he posts dizzying Go-pro videos of himself descending vertiginous urban declines on his bike like a psychopath.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/teddy-portrait2.jpg?w=2500" alt="A person wearing a helmet and a purple shirt stands with a mountain bike on rocky terrain, overlooking a cityscape and a body of water in the distance." class="wp-image-356341"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">“Teddy’s a huge part of this movement,” says Vernon Huffman. “He’s looked up to by younger kids. Because of him, more people know this is here, and that we’re growing.” </figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/teddy-portrait2.jpg?w=2500" alt="A person wearing a helmet and a purple shirt stands with a mountain bike on rocky terrain, overlooking a cityscape and a body of water in the distance." class="wp-image-356341"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">“Teddy’s a huge part of this movement,” says Vernon Huffman. “He’s looked up to by younger kids. Because of him, more people know this is here, and that we’re growing.” </figcaption></figure>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-performing-for-a-crowd">Performing for a crowd  </h2>


Jim Santos, co-owner of Outer Shell, a cycling apparel company, met Hayden not through competition but via Instagram. “For most of biking history, the bulk of the marketing has been about performance,” he says. “But most of us are just out here to have fun. And Teddy has more fun than anyone.” 

<p>Jim Santos, co-owner of Outer Shell, a cycling apparel company, met Hayden not through competition but via Instagram. “For most of biking history, the bulk of the marketing has been about performance,” he says. “But most of us are just out here to have fun. And Teddy has more fun than anyone.” </p>

Hayden, for his part, is happy to help, in his own way. This year he plans to double down on content production. He wants to dip his toe back into competing — starting with A4B’s annual Marinduro in April, which last year he won — but he’s aware of the potential of his social media platform and wants to leverage it. 

<p>Hayden, for his part, is happy to help, in his own way. This year he plans to double down on content production. He wants to dip his toe back into competing — starting with A4B’s annual Marinduro in April, which last year he won — but he’s aware of the potential of his social media platform and wants to leverage it. </p>

“There are lots of people out here in the Bay Area who ride and rip and who love the outdoors. And I do think that community’s growing. In another year or so, it&#8217;ll be even further along.”

<p>“There are lots of people out here in the Bay Area who ride and rip and who love the outdoors. And I do think that community’s growing. In another year or so, it'll be even further along.”</p>

<p>“There are lots of people out here in the Bay Area who ride and rip and who love the outdoors. And I do think that community’s growing. In another year or so, it&#8217;ll be even further along.”</p>

After I leave him that morning in January, Hayden rides over to Twin Peaks, where he meets up with a videographer named Eric Thurber. He spends the rest of the day doing what he loves, with Thurber following him around, recording him with a drone. 

<p>After I leave him that morning in January, Hayden rides over to Twin Peaks, where he meets up with a videographer named Eric Thurber. He spends the rest of the day doing what he loves, with Thurber following him around, recording him with a drone. </p>

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</div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEnGs3VPLoT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Eric Thurber (@thurber_shots)</a></p>
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That night, Thurber sends me the footage. It shows Hayden gracefully carving steep, green hillsides like he’s big-wave surfing. I watch him skittle down wooden steps, leap rivulets. At one point, the drone pans and frames Hayden against a sun-drenched downtown San Francisco, looking weightless — boyish, buoyant, unburdened. When he reaches the path near the bottom of the hill, he levels out and — why not? — pops a wheelie. 

<p>That night, Thurber sends me the footage. It shows Hayden gracefully carving steep, green hillsides like he’s big-wave surfing. I watch him skittle down wooden steps, leap rivulets. At one point, the drone pans and frames Hayden against a sun-drenched downtown San Francisco, looking weightless — boyish, buoyant, unburdened. When he reaches the path near the bottom of the hill, he levels out and — why not? — pops a wheelie. </p>

Watching, I find it hard to reject Hayden’s central premise. The way he rides still strikes me as terrifying, physically near-impossible, and definitely illegal. But it also looks undeniably fun.

<p>Watching, I find it hard to reject Hayden’s central premise. The way he rides still strikes me as terrifying, physically near-impossible, and definitely illegal. But it also looks undeniably fun.</p>

Meet the mountain biker going viral for bombing SF’s most terrifying hills

Matthew Kupfer

On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order calling for swift action to expand insurance coverage options for consumers. Hours later, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/21/california-insurance-crisis-newsom-orders-prompt-regulatory-action-after-insurers-retreat/">outlined what he termed “the largest insurance reform” in decades</a>.

Insurance crisis: Newsom orders action that could raise rates

<p>On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order calling for swift action to expand insurance coverage options for consumers. Hours later, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/21/california-insurance-crisis-newsom-orders-prompt-regulatory-action-after-insurers-retreat/">outlined what he termed “the largest insurance reform” in decades</a>.</p>

The regulation, to be drafted by the end of 2024, would allow insurance companies to use controversial forward-looking modeling in setting rates in return for covering more Californians living in areas with the most wildfire risk.

<p>The regulation, to be drafted by the end of 2024, would allow insurance companies to use controversial forward-looking modeling in setting rates in return for covering more Californians living in areas with the most wildfire risk.</p>

The strategy took direct aim at a rapidly growing problem in the state and a serious liability for political leaders: dwindling access to homeowners insurance.

<p>The strategy took direct aim at a rapidly growing problem in the state and a serious liability for political leaders: dwindling access to homeowners insurance.</p>

Seven of the 12 largest writers of homeowners insurance—including <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/06/01/state-farm-asks-california-for-huge-insurance-rate-hike-as-home-coverage-halts/">State Farm</a>, Allstate, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/07/07/farmers-insurance-state-farm-allstate-california/">Farmers</a>, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/31/insurance-crisis-another-major-home-insurer-to-limit-business-in-california/">USAA</a> and others—have limited business in California or pulled out of the state entirely, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/17/in-california-insurance-crisis-puts-homeownership-further-out-of-reach/">shrinking home insurance availability</a>.

State Farm asks California for huge insurance rate hike as home coverage halts

After State Farm&#8217;s and Allstate’s exits, Farmers Insurance sets limits in California

Insurance crisis: Another major home insurer to limit business in California

California insurance crisis: Housing costs likely to surge as companies retreat

<p>Seven of the 12 largest writers of homeowners insurance—including <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/06/01/state-farm-asks-california-for-huge-insurance-rate-hike-as-home-coverage-halts/">State Farm</a>, Allstate, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/07/07/farmers-insurance-state-farm-allstate-california/">Farmers</a>, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/31/insurance-crisis-another-major-home-insurer-to-limit-business-in-california/">USAA</a> and others—have limited business in California or pulled out of the state entirely, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/17/in-california-insurance-crisis-puts-homeownership-further-out-of-reach/">shrinking home insurance availability</a>.</p>

“Can consumers get the insurance they need? Can they get it today?” Lara asked on Thursday. “And the answer, in all honesty, is no.”

<p>“Can consumers get the insurance they need? Can they get it today?” Lara asked on Thursday. “And the answer, in all honesty, is no.”</p>

But Lara’s reform—which is currently more of an outline or plan—won’t thrill all policyholders: Insurance rates are expected to increase as a result.

<p>But Lara’s reform—which is currently more of an outline or plan—won’t thrill all policyholders: Insurance rates are expected to increase as a result.</p>

<p>That isn’t the only controversy.&nbsp;</p>

Newsom took executive action after <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/12/california-insurance-crisis-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bill-aimed-at-luring-insurers-back/">an 11th-hour bill to alleviate the state’s insurance woes died in the legislature</a> earlier this month.

California insurance crisis: Bill to lure insurance companies dies before vote

<p>Newsom took executive action after <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/12/california-insurance-crisis-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bill-aimed-at-luring-insurers-back/">an 11th-hour bill to alleviate the state’s insurance woes died in the legislature</a> earlier this month.</p>

But the new strategy unveiled by Lara cannot legally alter California’s regulatory framework: Proposition 103, a powerful law passed by voters in 1988 that has governed insurance for over three decades. But it may undermine it.

<p>But the new strategy unveiled by Lara cannot legally alter California’s regulatory framework: Proposition 103, a powerful law passed by voters in 1988 that has governed insurance for over three decades. But it may undermine it.</p>

Insurance companies say that Prop. 103 has made it too difficult to increase rates and factor the effects of climate change into them.

<p>Insurance companies say that Prop. 103 has made it too difficult to increase rates and factor the effects of climate change into them.</p>

The law’s supporters say it has kept rates affordable and has given California likely the strongest protections for insurance consumers in the country.&nbsp;

<p>The law’s supporters say it has kept rates affordable and has given California likely the strongest protections for insurance consumers in the country.&nbsp;</p>

But even some of them are starting to have their doubts.

<p>But even some of them are starting to have their doubts.</p>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-consumer-struggle-to-law">From Consumer Struggle to Law</h2>


Prop. 103 emerged from a period in the late 1980s that looked a lot like today: Insurance coverage was hard to find, premiums were out of control and consumers were frustrated.

<p>Prop. 103 emerged from a period in the late 1980s that looked a lot like today: Insurance coverage was hard to find, premiums were out of control and consumers were frustrated.</p>

California required drivers to have auto insurance, but people of color struggled to obtain it due to discrimination, according to Harvey Rosenfield, the founder of Consumer Watchdog.

<p>California required drivers to have auto insurance, but people of color struggled to obtain it due to discrimination, according to Harvey Rosenfield, the founder of Consumer Watchdog.</p>

“It was a full-fledged crisis, just like today,” he said.

<p>“It was a full-fledged crisis, just like today,” he said.</p>

That drove Rosenfield, then a young lawyer and protegé of consumer advocate and later presidential candidate Ralph Nader, to write the bill and lead a campaign for its passage.

<p>That drove Rosenfield, then a young lawyer and protegé of consumer advocate and later presidential candidate Ralph Nader, to write the bill and lead a campaign for its passage.</p>

Despite intense opposition from the insurance industry, the proposition passed in November 1988 with support from 51% of voters.

<p>Despite intense opposition from the insurance industry, the proposition passed in November 1988 with support from 51% of voters.</p>

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader points to a document as he testifies on California's insurance reform Proposition 103 before a House subcommittee on consumer protection on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 1988 in Washington. Looking on is Harvey Rosenfield, author of the proposition. They suggested that Congress enact a program of federal insurance reform.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="1651" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AP8812060294.jpg?w=2500" alt="" class="wp-image-201760"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Consumer advocate Ralph Nader points to a document as he testifies on California&#8217;s Proposition 103 before a House subcommittee on consumer protection on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 6, 1988. Looking on is Harvey Rosenfield, author of the proposition.</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AP8812060294.jpg?w=2500" alt="" class="wp-image-201760"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Consumer advocate Ralph Nader points to a document as he testifies on California's Proposition 103 before a House subcommittee on consumer protection on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 6, 1988. Looking on is Harvey Rosenfield, author of the proposition.</figcaption></figure>

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AP8812060294.jpg?w=2500" alt="" class="wp-image-201760"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Consumer advocate Ralph Nader points to a document as he testifies on California&#8217;s Proposition 103 before a House subcommittee on consumer protection on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 6, 1988. Looking on is Harvey Rosenfield, author of the proposition.</figcaption></figure>

The law had several key features: It required insurance companies to roll back rates by 20%, made the insurance commissioner an elected official and obligated auto insurers to offer consumers a “good driver” discount.

<p>The law had several key features: It required insurance companies to roll back rates by 20%, made the insurance commissioner an elected official and obligated auto insurers to offer consumers a “good driver” discount.</p>

It also required insurance companies to get prior approval from the California Department of Insurance before raising rates and mandated a public hearing for rate requests above a certain level.

<p>It also required insurance companies to get prior approval from the California Department of Insurance before raising rates and mandated a public hearing for rate requests above a certain level.</p>

That wasn’t even the most contentious part of the law.

<p>That wasn’t even the most contentious part of the law.</p>

“I knew when I wrote [Prop.] 103 that it doesn’t make a difference how good a law is,” Rosenfield said.&nbsp; “If it can’t be enforced or isn’t enforced, it’s useless.”&nbsp;

<p>“I knew when I wrote [Prop.] 103 that it doesn’t make a difference how good a law is,” Rosenfield said.&nbsp; “If it can’t be enforced or isn’t enforced, it’s useless.”&nbsp;</p>

So Rosenfield wrote in a provision unique to California.

<p>So Rosenfield wrote in a provision unique to California.</p>

That provision allows consumers or their representatives—termed “interveners”—to participate in rate hearings, independently scrutinize and challenge unjustified rates, and go to court to sue insurance companies. It also allows the interveners to get the costs of their participation paid by the insurance companies.

<p>That provision allows consumers or their representatives—termed “interveners”—to participate in rate hearings, independently scrutinize and challenge unjustified rates, and go to court to sue insurance companies. It also allows the interveners to get the costs of their participation paid by the insurance companies.</p>

To say that Prop. 103 is unpopular with insurance companies would be an understatement. But the latest moves by Newsom and Lara suggest they, too, believe the regulatory system is out-of-date.

<p>To say that Prop. 103 is unpopular with insurance companies would be an understatement. But the latest moves by Newsom and Lara suggest they, too, believe the regulatory system is out-of-date.</p>

Insurance companies argue that climate change contributed to more extreme wildfires, yet the law requires them to calculate risk based upon the past 20 years, not future projections. The cost of home and auto repairs has skyrocketed, increasing their costs.

<p>Insurance companies argue that climate change contributed to more extreme wildfires, yet the law requires them to calculate risk based upon the past 20 years, not future projections. The cost of home and auto repairs has skyrocketed, increasing their costs.</p>

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