Bike Falls Off Car On Way To Ride For Fallen Officers

As cyclists, there are things we fear happening to ourselves and our bikes.

As for what can happen to ourselves, the dire scenarios almost always involve crashes and injuries.  Perhaps the biggest fear for anyone who rides in traffic--as I, a city dweller, do almost daily--is getting "doored."  It's happened to me three times--once when I was riding in a bike lane, and the worst incident two years ago, which resulted in 30 stitches.

Then there is the fear of what can happen to our bikes.  Some scenarios, like crashes, can damage or destroy both our bodies and bikes.  But when it comes to what can befall the bicycle, theft might be the primary concern for many cyclists.

Another nightmare scenario has less chance of happening to me because I don't drive.  But, on those occasions when I've gone to a ride with someone who does, I worry when my bike is attached to a rack, no matter how solid.   Bumper racks expose bikes to more harm because, well, another car bumping the bikes instead of the bumper will have more dire consequences for the bikes than the bumper.  But even on the best roof racks, there is a chance of something knocking the bike off.

I don't know which kind of rack Dara Gannon was using when she drove to a three-day training ride.  She was preparing for a Massacusetts-to-Washington DC ride that honors police officers killed in the line of duty, one of whom was her husband.  

The Yarmouth, Massachusetts resident saw her white Specialized road bike with "Gannon" stickers on it fly off her car.  As if that weren't bad enough, when she turned around to retrieve it, it was gone.

Dara Gannon with her bike.

Not surprisingly, the police in her Cape Cod community have taken interest in her case.  She and they hope that whoever "found" the bicycle will return it, as it means more than just a pair of wheels and pedals to her:  She has used it for other rides like the one for which she was training.

Anyone with information about her bike can call Chief Frederickson at 508-775-0445, ext. 2156, or e-mail him at ffrederickson@yarmouth.ma.us. 

Could A Charity Ride Break Up Their Club?

 Imagine that you’re going to ride in another country. (You like this post so far, right?) You arrive at your destination, go to pick up your bike and…a customs officer says you have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars or euros or pounds (or its equivalent) to be reunited with your wheels.

That is the nightmare scenario faced a Welsh club faced. They were on their way to do a charity ride in Spain that had been postponed by COVID.

The Tap It Out Cycling club had raised more than 16000 GBP for Prostate Cymru. Perhaps not surprisingly, some members have prostate cancer, so the ride was a personal quest.

Some of the riders flew to Spain and sent their bikes ahead of them, by ferry.  When they went to pick up their bikes, border police told them they had to pay an 8500€ (7300£) tariff. 

Since Brexit, goods from Wales, which is part of the United Kingdom, have been subject to import fees.  The Spanish customs officials were not willing to consider the riders’ appeal that they were not “importing “ the bikes.  “It never entered our minds that we were going to sell bikes or be accused of selling bikes,” said group leader Nicky Morgan.

Nicky Morgan

He went on to relate that the club raised money from the club’s coffers to pay for the bikes and commence their ride. But, unless they win their appeal and get their money back, they will have to “fold the club, shut it down,” according to Morgan.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

This is a tribute, my father, or to fathers in general, but to all of the men who are partners or friends in one way or another.

And, of course, to the dads who ride bikes.

Now, I know that sometimes parents will "sneak" out for a ride on their kid's bike--at least, if the kid is of a certain age.  But it's not often we see a dad on a bike designed for a seven-year-old girl.

What made Peter Williams all the more incongruous on his daughter's little pink bike is that he's six feet tall.  But he didn't just toodle around the block on his kid's toy:  he pedaled it 211 miles from Bristol to Land's End, the farthest point on England's west coast.

His ride raised over 52,000 GBP--more than five times his goal--for research into brain tumors, the cause of his daughter Ellie's death at age 7.

He and his wife, Kaz, had given Ellie the bike for what would be her last Christmas, though neither of them realized it at the time.  He and Kaz would soon notice, however, that her eye started to cross and that "it wasn't just a facial gesture."  Soon after, the once-athletic girl started to lose her balance, and her confidence.  They brought her to a doctor, who ordered an MRI.  The results revealed the frightening news:  Ellie had a brain tumor and only months to live.

She was diagnosed in Bristol, where Peter started his ride.  Although he and Kaz have their own bikes and regularly participate in group rides, he rode his Ellie's bike because seeing it made him sad and he realized that the best way to deal with his feelings was to "put it to good use."

That, he did.