WTB's Patrick Seidler Wins Lifetime Service Award for Bicycle Advocacy from People for Bikes
Patrick Seidler, owner/President of WTB (Wilderness Trail Bikes) and national leader in bicycle advocacy, received the prestigious “Lifetime Service Award for Bicycle Advocacy” from PeopleForBikes at the 2025 Bicycle Leadership Conference in Arizona.
After joining WTB in 1993, Seidler and WTB colleague, Susie Weaver founded the community based organization, WTB-TAM to pursue a broader mission: “To save the world with bicycles.”
This award honors WTB-TAM’s 30+ year dedication to improving bike infrastructure, expanding trail access, and promoting sustainable, active transportation and public transportation alternatives across the United States. WTB-TAM’s bicycle advocacy has informed policy makers, elected officials, and transportation leaders to expand cycling access, and has transformed Marin County and the San Francisco North Bay into a national model for multimodal mobility.
Patrick Seidler wins Lifetime Service Award at the People for Bikes, Bicycle Leadership Conference in Arizona.
Championing Bicycle Advocacy for Over 30 Years
WTB-TAM has been a vocal and active force in bicycle advocacy since the 1980s. Starting with defending mountain bike trail access in Marin, then shifting focus to promote Active Transportation, WTB-TAM has consistently worked to make cycling more accessible, inclusive, and impactful.
WTB-TAM has been at the heart of multiple groundbreaking advocacy efforts, including:
- Writing the White Papers with Deb Hubsmith for projects funded in the 2005 Federal Transportation Bill including:
o The Safe Routes to Schools program, which was funded for $612 million. To date, the SR2S has been funded for over $1.3 billion, making it the most successful bicycle pedestrian program in the history of the United States.
o Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program – $100 million invested in concentrated bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure in four communities.
- Conceiving of the alignment, design, and engineering solutions of the SMART Train & Pathway Project – a 71-mile multimodal corridor from Larkspur to Cloverdale.
- Helping initiate more than $250 million in active transportation infrastructure projects in the North Bay.
Flyer for October 17, 2004 WTB-TAM “Bicycle Rally” in support of Measure A (which provided advisory guidelines to prioritize balanced transportation projects funded by sales tax); and Measure B (the transportation sales tax, needing 2/3 vote to pass). Both Measures were successful and funded Safe Routes to Schools for 20 years.
International Advocacy Through Study Trips
WTB-TAM has also made a global impact by organizing International Study Trips for public and private sector leaders to places like the Netherlands and Germany, where advanced active transportation design is the norm. These immersive experiences allow delegates to study proven infrastructure models firsthand. Many participants return inspired and equipped to implement best practices bicycle and pedestrian projects in their own communities.
2010 Study Trip Community leaders from Madison, Wisconsin including Mayor, County Executive, Banker, Developer, Engineers, and Advocates
National and International Impact on Bike Infrastructure and Transportation Policy
WTB-TAM co-authored critical policy proposals that directly led to federally funded programs promoting active transportation and public transportation alternatives. Its advocacy has helped prove that investment in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure yields the highest return on investment in transportation when ROI is measured by increasing mobility, reducing congestion, or mode share carried.
As one of the original initiators to the formation of the NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) Urban Bikeway Design Guide, through PeopleforBikes and the SRAM Foundation, WTB-TAM also helped advance national design standards that have reshaped U.S. city streets to be safer for cyclists and pedestrians. None of this would be possible without the dedication and commitment from Susie Weaver and Matthew Hartzell, the beating heart of WTB-TAM.
Graphic of key central Marin County multi-modal projects achieved over the last 30+ years that connect population and transportation centers via train, bus, ferry, cycling and walking.
A Voice for the Future of Cycling
At the Bicycle Leadership Conference, Seidler inspired a new generation of cycling advocates:
“The question isn’t how many bikes we sold—it’s what we are doing to create a livable future for our children and grandchildren. Bicycle advocacy is not just important—it’s essential.”
With Seidler’s vision and decades of leadership, WTB has emerged as both a high-performance component brand and a beacon of bicycle advocacy. This commitment continues to influence how cities and communities across the US and globe embrace bikes as a solution for mobility, equity, climate resilience, and public transportation alternatives.
Patrick Seidler; Deb Hubsmith, Advocacy Director of Marin County Bicycle Coalition; Carole Misseldine, Office of Sustainability, Oakland; Charles McGlashan, Supervisor, Marin County Board of Supervisors; Tom Wilson, Co-Executive Director, Canal Alliance; Michael Jones, Principal, Alta Planning + Design – 2005 Study Trip
About WTB and WTB-TAM
WTB (Wilderness Trail Bikes) is a performance-driven bicycle component company based in Marin County, CA. Since 1982, WTB has designed tires, saddles, wheels, and grips for mountain, gravel, and urban cycling. Its sister nonprofit, WTB-TAM, has been a leader in bicycle advocacy for over 30 years, championing education, diplomacy, and community-focused change across the globe.