The Next Tour?

 World War II suspended the Tour de France and most other cycling and athletic-related events.  For one thing, many riders were called to fight for their countries.For another, had the events been held, riders' safety could not be ensured.

So I was surprised to learn that a race transversing one of the world's most war-torn countries last week.  One thing that makes the race all the more interesting is that it is being promoted as a counterpart to the Tour de France.  Burkina Faso was a colony of that country, called Upper Volta, until 1984.

Eighty cyclists are riding the race, some of them Europeans.  (They say they're not worried about safety because "the military are everywhere.") Perhaps most prominent among them is Paul Daumont, who also competed in this year's Olympics in Tokyo.  The good news is that, at 22, he still has a lot of riding ahead of him.  

But he admits that it hasn't been easy for him, or other cyclists from his country.  The country's cycling federation gave him a bike when he showed potential but, he says, you need a really good bike which few of his compatriots can afford.  Also, I imagine that his team and others in Africa simply don't have the budgets or facilities of their European counterparts.  

Daumont has already raced, not only in Japan, but in other countries like Switzerland.  It's fair to wonder whether he and other talented cyclists will follow their counterparts in football (soccer) to careers in Europe, where teams from the English Premier League to Serie A feature star players from Africa and other parts of the world. The French national team won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018 largely thanks to the efforts of their African and Middle Eastern players.

Two things Daumont and other African cyclists share with their football-playing counterparts are ambition and a willingness to work very, very hard.  So, perhaps, we might see Africans win the Tour, Giro and Vuelta sooner rather than later.

  

Laid Up

This morning I felt as if I'd been struck by a train.  Everything in my body ached, and I was as exhausted as if I hadn't slept at all.  So I didn't ride this afternoon, as I planned.  Instead, I spent much of today in bed. At least Marlee is happy:  She can curl up on me to her heart's delight.

Last night, I received my COVID booster.  I felt no ill effects after the first two doses, so I don't know why I feel the way I do.  It may have to do with another vaccination, for shingles, I received at the same time.

I've ingested my average annual consumption--two tablets--of Ibuprofen.  Perhaps I'll feel better tomorrow.

 

Park Tool Grants To Community Organizations

I am very happy that United Bicycle Institute and other organizations are offering scholarships and making other efforts to train women, transgenders and non-binary people to work in the bicycle industry.  While some might argue that such programs lead to low-paying dead-end jobs as bike shop employees, I think the training is valuable in other ways.  For one, some bike shop employees go on to open their own shops or work in other facets of the bicycle industry.  For another, I think training programs can help to raise the quality and consistency of services bike shops and companies offer.

Another benefit is one that training and volunteer programs of bicycle recycleries and co-ops also offer.  Knowing how to fix a bike, whether one's own or someone else's, makes for more self-sufficient cyclists.  That, I think, makes people more likely to use their bikes for more than twiddling around the park.  If you can at least fix a flat, you're less likely to worry about being late for work or school or getting stranded in an unfamiliar neighborhood or foreign country.  

Sometimes knowing how to fix a bike isn't enough, though.  Some people and communities don't have the tools necessary, whether because there isn't a shop in the neighborhood or because they don't have the money to spare for even a pair of tire levers.  Many low-wage workers. immigrants and unhoused people (who are sometimes the same people) are riding bikes that were purchased for very little, gifted to them or rescued from a dumpster or curbside.  

From Recycle-A-Bicycle

That is where Park Tool's Community Tool Grants come in.  Every year since 2015, Park has been giving grants that include tools and repair stands to nonprofit organizations and community groups.  The application period for 2022 grants is now open. In addition to ten grants that include bike-repair items, one organization will receive an additional $1000 grant to spend on tools and equipment.

Now I have one more reason to be happy that I have a number of Park tools in my box.