Sponsor Spotlight: The Freewheel Bike Shop

The Freewheel Bike Shop has been serving the Bay Area with expert repairs, custom wheel building, fitting, and professional road and mountain bike sales since 1978. Not only do they take pride in servicing all types of bikes and riding styles, they also offer bicycle repair courses! These monthly courses take place at their shop located at 1920 Hayes Street, and course registration includes a one-year membership to the shop's tool and stands so you can keep reinforcing and building upon your own skills! 

This year, The Freewheel is donating a custom wheel build using the custom White Industries hubs pictured below (valued at $750)! 

Photo by: Carlos Corujo

In addition to being a returning sponsor of the Sweep, owner Carlos Corujo placed first in the men's cargo race last year, coming in with 712 lbs of food in 3 hours and 43 minutes!

Photo by: Jonathan Koshi

Carlos and The Freewheel Team, thank you for all you do for the Sweep! For more information on the monthly bike maintenance courses at The Freewheel, email Carlos.

Rider Profile: Bridget May

Meet Bridget May, a Sweep regular and four-time women's cargo champion!

2010 - 13th Place with 24 lbs

2011 - 1st Place with 111 lbs

2012 - 1st Place with 282 lbs! Photos by: Jonathan Koshi

Name: Bridget May

Sweep Categories: Cargo-Women, Fundraising

What was the race equipment you used? 

I ride a Hunter touring bike, which is pretty sturdy and can handle a lot of weight. I have racks on the bike which I load down with front and rear Ortlieb panniers and I have a Burley Trailer ( I won it, in a previous SMSW; Thank you Burley!), which is attached to the rear triangle.  I really recommend a trailer if you want to be competitive. :) Oh, and I carry a big-ass backpack too. Ouch! 

Why is the Sweep important to you? 

The SF-Marin Food Bank does so much good for so many people and it is really important to remember that not everyone has the good fortune to have enough to eat everyday. The Super Market Street Sweep raises money and food for people in need but also raises awareness of this important issue, hopefully being a friendly reminder to donate to your local food bank.  On top of that it is super fun, especially so if you have a great team of people to ride with who know the city well.

Biggest thing you've learned since the first time you did the Sweep? 

The first time I did the race, I did not have a sense of how much I could carry, or how much the food would cost. I didn’t have a trailer but I tried to carry as much as I could and probably ended up spending about $75.  In later years I got people to donate money to my food campaign and I was able to buy more. Last year I had two fundraising campaigns. One to raise money to buy hundreds of pounds of food and one for money that would go directly to the SF Marin Food Bank.  

Favorite Sweep moment/memory? 

Well I love to win things, so it is a great feeling to physically work really hard and then have praise and prizes showered upon you! But it is also a great feeling to raise money to give to a great organization like the SF-Marin Food Bank and make a real difference in our community.

Speaking of winning, I’ve noticed in the last couple of years the competition in the Women’s Cargo category has gotten fierce.  My days of being on top are probably over but it makes me very happy to see so many strong women coming out to kick butt in the cargo category. I say: Bring it On!  Let’s break some records this year, ladies!!

Any tips for someone considering racing speed for the first time? 

1. Make sure you give yourself enough time! Even though it’s not a speed race you still need to be back at the food bank by the cut off time or you will be disqualified.
2. Don’t lose your receipts!  
3. Riding with a fully loaded bike is very difficult, especially starting out from a stop at at red light.  Don’t put too much weight on the front of your bike, or your bike will become very dangerous to navigate!  Unless your bike has independent steering (like a REAL cargo bike), put most of your weight in the rear of the bike. Trust me.
4. Make sure to drink lot’s of water and eat a little something while you’re riding. It uses up a lot of fuel!

To sign up for the cargo race, register HERE! For details on fundraising, read our step-by-step instructions HERE or DONATE to an existing fundraising team!

Have a favorite Sweep story you want to share? Send us an email at supermarketstreetsweep@gmail.com

Rider Profile: Bret Lobree

Meet Supermarket Street Sweep rider Bret Lobree!

Left to right: Chris Ryan, Nathan Dushman, Peter Colijn, Bret Lobree, Peter Chang. Photo by: Jonathan Koshi

Sweep Category: Team

Team in 2015 Sweep: SF2G

What was the race equipment you used?

Bullitt (best cargo bike ever, borrowed)

Have you raced the Sweep in the past? Why is the Sweep important to you?

Nope, last year was my first year. Supporting food banks is important to me. Our school is a pick up site and donations are dropping every year. I'd like to see them increase to keep families fed.

What made you decide to try the new team category?

I like doing things as a group, and as an community SF2G is one of my favorites (even though I don't commute with them anymore).

Favorite Sweep moment/memory?

Rolling down 3rd Street with 200lbs in the bucket and I started getting speed wobbles (seems the linkage joint was loose).

Can you share a tip for someone considering racing with a team for the first time?
Just do it. This is the best fun, easy, low stress way to support our community.

Thanks Bret, for riding for the Food Bank! 

New riders: are you wondering what the team category is, and why it is awesome?

Here's the scoop: you and up to four other teammates bring back as much food as possible. The heaviest load wins! Last year, we introduced the team category and were blown away by the pedal power of just 5 teams consisting of 17 people in total. Together, these 5 teams brought in 49.7% of the total 12,218lbs of food in last year's Sweep! 

Registration: NO race-day registration; teams MUST pre-register on Eventbrite! The team leader should RSVP one ticket for the entire team; each member does not need to register separately. Each team can have a maximum of five members.

The Race: At the start of the race, each team will be given one manifest, or shopping list, for the entire team. You must buy the minimum items specified on the list, e.g., buy five (5) cans of food from 'Name of Store,' 'Address'. We will give you the addresses for the stores, but it's up to you to look them up on a map or smartphone. No doubling up of purchases at one store - they must be bought separately at the specified locations. You must keep your receipts for for these purchases. 

Once you've bought these items, bring in as much additional food items as you can to the finish (SF-Marin Food Bank, 900 Pennsylvania Avenue). No receipts are needed for the additional items and they can be purchased anywhere. You can also purchase the additional food in larger quantities, such as entire cases of canned goods and 50lb bags of rice or beans. No glass, no perishables. You are welcome to make multiple trips by going back and forth between the stores and the SF-Marin Food Bank.

Scoring: Bring back all of the food listed on the manifest WITH RECEIPTS BEFORE 4PM to complete the race; late finishers will be disqualified. Any teams without their entire group after the 4PM will also be disqualified. Each food collection bin at the food bank is approximately 3.5' x 3.5' and 3' deep. The team that fills up a bin with the most amount of food (by weight) wins! Electric bikes or other motor-assisted vehicles are not allowed - you must use your own pedal power to finish!

Ready to give the team race a go? Register here!

Do you have a favorite sweep story to share? Send us an email at supermarketstreetsweep@gmail.com

Rider Profile: Sean Sevilla

Meet Sean Sevilla, who's been upping his Supermarket Street Sweep game year over year in cargo AND fundraising!

Photo by: Jonathan Koshi

Name: Sean Sevilla

Sweep Categories: Cargo-Men, Fundraising

What is your race equipment for the Supermarket Street Sweep?

I did my first few sweeps borrowing my friend Jacob's Project Rwanda Coffee Bike.  He did a lot of work supporting this organization through fundraising and direct volunteer work while it was active, and had a sample cargo bike they had disseminated to coffee farmers in Rwanda.  That thing was a beast and we loaded 400+ lbs. on it.  One year I won the cargo bike category and my prize was a prototype Xtracycle EdgeRunner frame that has since become my steed of choice.

Why is the Sweep important to you?

It's a fun event that supports a fantastic organization.  It's a great way to engage the bike community into helping those in need (while having a lot of fun on the side!), and it's something I look forward to supporting every year.

What is the biggest thing you've learned since the first time you participated in the Sweep?

How not to load 600 lbs. on a single bike at once and carry it at least 2 miles.  Haven't quite figured that out yet.  Every year I get closer.

Favorite Sweep moment/memory?

Taco-ing my frame while carrying 650+ lbs. for more than a mile from the food bank last year.  I still managed to single-handedly drag the bike to the food bank under the time limit, but I trailed a path of beans down a few streets in San Francisco!

Can you share a tip for someone considering racing cargo or fundraising for the first time?

Borrow a Bikes-at-Work cargo trailer from someone you know!  These can easily carry 400+ lbs. of food without breaking a sweat.  Also, go through the listed stops on the manifest as fast as you can since carrying that last load of cargo from your last store back to the food-bank can take more than an hour.

What is the cargo category?
Individual cyclists bring back the heaviest load of food from the designated grocery stores. The top five men and women will win awesome prizes! If you want to try and place in the top 5, you must first buy the minimum amount on your manifest and you MUST have receipts for these purchases. Then you can buy extra food from any store; it doesn't have to be places on the list and you don't need receipts for these additional items. You can also make multiple runs to and from the food bank once you've dropped off the required items on your manifest. Just be sure to return to the SF & Marin Food Bank by 4PM sharp or you'll be disqualified!

And fundraising helps, so get your friends and family to give you money so you can do more shopping! However, glass or perishable items WILL NOT be accepted. Please don't buy bulk items (e.g. rice from a bulk dispenser that you bag yourself) as the SF & Marin Food Bank doesn't accept them; only pre-packaged items are allowed. 

Ready to give the cargo race a go? Register here!

Do you have a favorite Sweep story to share? Send us an email at supermarketstreetsweep@gmail.com