New! Give A Bike 50 State Tour Blog Post

Check out the latest post from Adam and Christy by clicking HERE. Also, if you're in the area, check out one of Adam and Christy's presentations at the following times, dates and places.


May 12- Providence, RI: 6:30 presentation at McFaddens in Providence. 


May 14- Boston, MA: 5:30 presentation at Landry's Bicycles.  Get there early and ride with us on the Charles River loop from 4-5:15.  Harpoon Beer and Cake provided.

Chris Horner To Headline Cascade Gran Fondo - BikeRadar

Check it out.

Our special guest from SDC4WBR's Farmhouse dinner is headlining the Cascade Gran Fondo - BikeRadar.

If you can make it out for the ride, it is worth it. The riding in Oregon is amazing.

New Blog Post from the Give A Bike 50 State Tour

Give a Bike 50 State Tour: A Day in the Life: "So I'm sitting here on the side of the road waiting for Adam to backtrack five miles to try and find his Leatherman tool that we left at ..." Catch up with the latest tales from life on the road with Christy and Adam and their 50 state tour in support of World Bicycle Relief.

Just hagin' around...

New Give A Bike 50 State Tour Blog: Will Bike For Food

Check in on Adam and Christy and their adventure across the US by bicycle by reading their newest blog entry!

http://giveabike.blogspot.com/2011/03/will-bike-for-food.html

Thanks for the update guys!

Join World Bicycle Relief for an Epic Adventure!

The folks at WBR have come up with an amazing new way for all of us to get involved and do our part  to provide access to independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles while also being part of a fantastic adventure. Check out the release below and visit the Cape Epic Challenge webpage to make a donation and follow the adventure on the Cape Epic Challenge Blog.

Some of cycling’s most talented athletes have joined forces to raise $150,000 for World Bicycle Relief’s Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program (BEEP) in conjunction with the 2011 Absa Cape Epic mountain bike stage race, March 27-April 3. 

An all-star combination including Bart Brentjens, Jeroen Boelen, Jukka Vastaranta and Jelmer Pietersma of the Trek-Milka Mountain Bike Team, the rag-tag duo Andy Ording and Todd Winget, as well as downhill sensations Anka Martin and current World Champion Tracy Moseley, will endure this grueling 8 day race, covering 707km across South Africa’s Western Cape to raise awareness and funds for World Bicycle Relief. Each $25 donation to The Cape Epic Challenge gains an entry in our raffle for eligiblity to win a host of great prizes including clutch items from TREK, Zipp, and SRAM, and much more (please click the PRIZES tab in the left side bar). Donate the coast of a WBR bike and get a 6th raffle entry for nearly free! 

In addition, $75,000 has been pledged by a small group of anonymous donors to match all donations raised through the Cape Epic Challenge finale on April 3rd, 2011. All donations benefit World Bicycle Relief and their current efforts to provide 50,000 bicycles to Zambian students (70% girls), teachers and educational workers seeking access to education. 

The Cape Epic Challenge Goal to raise $150,000 would provide students at 10 schools with World Bicycle Relief’s specially designed, locally assembled, rugged bicycles.  

Follow the rider’s stories about Africa and their training for Cape Epic on the Cape Epic Challenge Blog: http://capeepicchallenge.blogspot.com, and find more about World Bicycle Relief and it’s mission to provide access to independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles at: www.worldbicyclerelief.org 

For additional inquires please contact:  

Rebecca Much

World Bicycle Relief Grassroots Fundraising Coordinator 

rmuch@worldbicyclerelief.org  

312.502.8468

Velonews: World Bicycle Relief utility bikes: Not UCI-legal, but the better for it.

World Bicycle Relief utility bikes: Not UCI-legal, but the better for it.

• By Caley Fretz
• Published Jan 20th 2011 8:56 PM EST — Updated Jan 21st 2011 4:20 PM EST

This WBR Nyati is the men's version. It weights over 53 pounds and is built to be highly durable.

World Bicycle Relief has become one of the most important and powerful charity organizations in the world by distributing incredibly durable bikes across Africa, positively leveraging human power in ways only the bicycle can. The organization, started in 2005 by Trek and SRAM, was recently ranked 12^th on Barron’s Best Givers list, putting them into the good company of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and George Soros’ Open Society Foundations. WBR has given away  more than 75,000 bicycles since it began.

The organization’s stated mission is to “provide access to independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles.” The problem is, most bicycles sold in Africa are not robust enough, falling apart shortly after purchase and becoming a wasted investment. To turn that trend around, WBR designed incredibly durable and functional bikes to fit the needs of those who need the most.

The bikes are designed from the ground up to be as indestructible as possible. They’re deliberately high quality rather than low cost; “cheap is expensive” rings true with the abuse and difficulty of finding replacement parts. Nonetheless, cost per bike is only $134. And while most bicycles are donated, many are also purchased by locals. The WBR Buffalo bike is sought after due to its particular robustness.

Each bike, now in its third version, weighs 53 pounds, and has a rack that will hold 220 pounds without issue. Tubing is oversized 16 guage steel, chainrings are a super wide 3m and are connected to a coaster brake hub with super sturdy chain built with 1.2mm plates. Tires are automotive grade and are filled with super thick, puncture resistant tubes.

When things do go wrong, World Bicycle Relief trains and equips at least one mechanic for every 50 bikes, creating a network of technicians able to help keep the fleet on the road (or dirt, as it may be). Each bike comes with a flat kit, pump and lock.

Education is the primary message of World Bicycle Relief. To that end, 70 percent of its bicycles are donated to girls. In Africa, girls are the first members of the family taken out of school to help at home. WBR is working to stop this.

In a clever piece of organization, the bicycles are given to schools, not individuals. Each school has a panel of community leaders that decides how to distribute the bikes. A contract is then signed between the recipient of the bike, his or her parents and the school panel. In the contract it clearly states that the recipient may only keep the bike as long as they attend class.  This keeps children learning and at the same time provides the family with a valuable resource, the bicycle.

Write Up: Give A Bike Night at Blind Lady Alehouse

Well, this is a bit tardy (sorry) but I'm excited to share some photos and thoughts from our recent Give A Bike night hosted by The Blind Lady Alehouse.

As you know, Adam and Christy are riding their bikes across the US to raise funds and awareness for WBR and Achilles International and they're documenting their trip on their blog, facebook, twitter, video AND homepage (which has a really cool map that allows you to see where they are and where this adventurous couple is going).

The folks at Blind Lady kindly reserved a section for us!

Folks waiting to go on the pre-event townie ride.

Adam showing off the Give A Bike jersey.

Adam and Christy in their gear. 

Adam enjoying a "recovery" drink.

I hope everyone had a great time (I know I did) and I want to wish Adam and Christy all the best on their journey as I'll be checking in on them to see how they're doing. I'd also like to thank Jeff and all the folks at The Blind Lady Alehouse for their support of the event and for making it a success. I would also like to mention that 15% of the proceeds from the evening went directly to World Bicycle Relief and Achilles International! That's hugely generous and we all greatly appreciate it!