This August, I'm participating in Raise + Ride to fundraise for Phoenix Bikes, an Arlington nonprofit that uniquely combines youth education programs with a full service bike shop. Every day, I get to see local 6th-12th graders learn bike mechanics, earn their very own bike for free, and gain the confidence to get out riding, racing, and giving back to the community with their new skills. This ride is our BIGGEST fundraiser of the year, so our youth programs depend on each and every dollar we raise.
Why do I ride? For students like Suhieb. Suhieb came to the U.S. from Eritrea as a young teen. He started coming to Phoenix so he could get a fast bike like the one he admired of his older brother's. He quickly picked up mechanics skills, earned his own bike, joined our race team, and completed our internship program to learn job skills. On a Phoenix group ride recently, he nonchalantly mentioned to me that he had changed out the groupset on his bike. I had to smile to myself. It's impressive to me that he even knows what a groupset* is, let alone how to replace one! I love that Phoenix provides students with that kind of technical knowledge and confidence.
My husband James and I will be riding 50 miles on the W&OD trail from Arlington, VA to Purcellville, VA to raise money for Phoenix's mission and youth programs. Let's get more students like Suhieb out on bikes!
*I recently learned that a groupset is the collection of parts that make you stop and go on a bike, including the chain, shifters, brakes and more.