Some new bikes in Douglas
I can’t even imagine being a kid and not having a bike. Like most kids of my era, race, nationality, and class, I got a bike when I was about six or seven and got a new one every few years after that. But not every kid has that kind of luck.
Some don’t have the money; others might not live in a place where bikes are even all that available.
It’s one reason I am such a proud supporter of BICAS, Tucson’s non-profit bike cooperative that works hard to make sure that every kid (and adult) in Tucson who wants a bike, can get one.
But as much as we at BICAS would like to reach out to other communities (it’s a frequent topic at our meetings), we just haven’t been able to muster the resources necessary to pull it off. So I was pleased to see today that GABA and others have been bringing bikes to kids in smaller towns around Arizona.
Here’s a winning entry in a GABA essay contest, by David Villaescusa of Douglas, Arizona:
“Hi, my name is David. Here are some reasons I want a bike. I got a bike but it is old. I hardly use it because it is hard to ride. It has a rusty chain. It is hard to pedal. The reason I want that bike is that it would be smoother to ride where I live. Where I live it is desert. So when I ride in my other bike it is not smooth. But with the new bike it would be. Another reason I want a bike is because it doesn’t get you tired like my old bike. It would be more comfortable. I also want a bike to exercise and stay in shape. If I win the bike it would be easier for me and it would make me happy. That is why I want a bike.”
Congratulations David! If you are ever in Tucson, stop by BICAS and we’ll show you everything you need to know to keep your new bike’s chain from getting rusty.
–Erik Ryberg
October 21st, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Now his ride is going to be SMOOTH. Good for him.