Pinkbike has long had ties with Calgary, with the website taking shape there back in 1998 before eventually moving to B.C., so it was only a matter of time before we took Share the Ride there. With the help of the
PushStart Foundation, a volunteer-run initiative that provides kids with access to bikes and the training and skills needed to safely ride and Stephen Exley, who is better known for organizing the Dunbar Summer Race Series and the
Love for Lola fund, we were able to bring Share the Ride to Calgary on January 16th 2016. 21 kids from Sacred Heart School in Downtown Calgary were gifted new bikes, new locks, and a new lease on life.
Nicole, a Liv Cycling ambassador for Alberta along with volunteers from Prairie Girls Racing, were on hand to get the kids fitted out with Kali helmets, before heading onto the next step to pick up their bikes from the Calgary Cycle team.
Share the Ride relies not only on the Pinkbike user base for donations in order to buy the bikes but also with the support of the cycling industry. We were able to supply the kids with Kali helmets and ABUS locks, while Calgary Cycle donated water bottles and stickers. Who doesn't love stickers?
These children are now well on their way to discovering the freedom and joy that owning a bike can bring. Thanks to the generosity of the
PushStart in-school bike safety program, these children will be now be going through the next steps to learn about bike skills and cycling safety.
A very special thank-you to the following for working together to make this event a success:
Giant/Liv
Abus
Kali
Stephen Exley - SE Racing
Sacred Heart School
Calgary Cycle
MMTBS - Moose Mountain Bike Trail Society
Loudenterprise
Prairie Girls Racing
PushStart Foundation
Along with all the Pinkbike Users who donated to Share the Ride in 2015
Video: Andrew Young
Photos: Andrew McMillan
Next up, Share the Ride visits India.
MENTIONS:
@KaliProtectives /
@sexley / @GiantBicycle
Thanks pink bike