World Bicycle Relief: Share the Power of Bicycles

Mandatory testing

2009-10-06T14:19:00.000-06:00

Interesting case in Livingstone, involving HIV/AIDS testing:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8292320.stm

We're ramping up for our year-end, and reworking our social media platforms right now. Busy stuff, but the program side is going well, with schools in Zambia back in session and bikes being delivered. Exciting!

Garmin-Slipstream goodies!

2009-09-11T09:35:00.004-06:00

Check out these amazing goodies from Garmin-Slipstream, on auction to benefit World Bicycle Relief!

Tour de France team AUTOGRAPHED jersey

AUTOGRAPHED Zipp carbon disc wheel

Both items come to us via our partners at Zipp -- as they say, bid early, bid often!

Athletes ‘Sign’ for World Bicycle Relief at Interbike

2009-09-09T13:18:00.001-06:00

Professionals from several disciplines show their support with appearances

CHICAGO (September 3, 2009) – Several top professional athletes from around the cycling world will be holding personal autograph sessions at the World Bicycle Relief booth this year.

Scheduled to appear at World Bicycle Relief Booth 1338, across from SRAM, are:

Specialized adventure racer Rebecca Rusch and Monavie-Cannondale pro Jeremiah Bishop3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23
Monavie-Cannondale racers Tinker Juarez, Jeremiah Bishop and Sue Butler11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24
Triathlete Jordan Rapp1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24
Kelly Benefit Pro Cycling racers Neil Shirley, Scott Zwizanski, Dan Bowman and Jake Keough9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 25

“We are particularly excited to have this amazing group of athletes in our booth this year,” said Katie Bolling, World Bicycle Relief grassroots manager. “Each one of them is connected to World Bicycle Relief and believes in our mission to provide The Power of Bicycles to those who need it most.”

The breadth of the athletes’ disciplines shows the deep partnerships World Bicycle Relief has in the cycling industry. Cannondale Sports Group provides strength testing on World Bicycle Relief frames; Rapp is sponsored by wheel maker Zipp; and several members of the Kelly Benefit team – including Shirley and Zwizanski – will travel to Zambia in October to see World Bicycle Relief programs first-hand.

In addition, World Bicycle Relief is hosting its 4th Annual open forum, “The Power of Bicycles,” on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 9:30 a.m. in Sands Conference Room 105. All Interbike attendees are invited to attend the discussion hosted by F.K. Day, president of World Bicycle Relief, and Randy Neufeld, director of the SRAM Cycling Fund.

World Bicycle Relief Reserve Headset from Cane Creek

2009-09-02T08:21:00.000-06:00

When Jason at Cane Creek called and said they wanted to do something special for World Bicycle Relief this year, I was excited, but wasn't sure what he had in mind. I mean, we don't use Cane Creek headsets on the bikes we put into Africa, right?

OHMYGOSH, they came through BIG TIME. Behold, the limited-edition World Bicycle Relief Reserve 110 Headset:

From Cane Creek:

Cane Creek introduces the World Bicycle Relief Reserve headset. Cut from high-grade Stainless steel, serialized to commemorate the limited run of 500 pieces and packaged in a Western Cedar wooden box; this is one unique headset with a very special purpose.

With the purchase of each beautifully engraved Reserve headset Cane Creek will make a donation directly to World Bicycle Relief, enough to provide 1 bicycle per headset to a person in Africa. Read the official press release here.

Only 500 World Bicycle Relief Reserve headsets will be made, so don't delay and reserve yours beginning September 1, 2009 by calling 800.234.2725

COST: $200 USD
CC# HSS4000WBR

World Bicycle Relief Reserve headsets are available by pre-purchase only. Quantities are limited and no back-orders will be accepted once 500 units have been ordered. All purchased headsets will be shipped on or about December 1, 2009. Applicable taxes and shipping apply.

Made in Fletcher, North Carolina, USA.

More stunning photos here -- check out this amazing piece of art!

ZAMBIA: NGOs fear law will hobble their activities

2009-08-27T08:28:00.002-06:00

Interesting developments on the legislative front in Zambia ... remains to be seen what impact it may have: ZAMBIA: NGOs fear law will hobble their activities

August newsletter

2009-08-21T13:39:00.001-06:00

Check out the August newsletter for an in-depth look at our BEEP program and more!

From the BBC

2009-08-20T09:55:00.000-06:00

Audio slideshow: The music of the ghetto

Disease, deprivation and drugs are the realities of daily life in Chibolya - a slum in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, which has inspired reggae artist Maiko Zulu.

Let him take you on a musical tour of the area.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8193615.stm

FK on Chicago Tonight

2009-07-24T07:48:00.000-06:00

F.K. was interviewed live last evening on WTTW Ch. 11's Chicago Tonight, a prestigious show on Chicago's local Public Broadcasting Station. In this 5-minute segment, he speaks about everything from World Bicycle Relief's beginnings in Sri Lanka all the way to the launch of our latest Bicycles for Education Empowerment Program (BEEP). Check out the link, which also includes amazing video from Africa!

http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,8&vid=072309a

Media hits

2009-06-25T09:37:00.001-06:00

First distribution for our education program was yesterday, Associated Press in attendance!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-zambia-bikes_thujun25,0,6318406.story

Media hits in the Trib, NPR and NBC Chicago confirmed so far ...

June

2009-06-17T15:35:00.001-06:00

Hard to believe June is half over -- and the first bikes are going out for the education program!

More on that later, in the meantime, check out this write-up from VeloNews on the bikes we used for Project Zambia:

http://www.velonews.com/article/93508/tech-feature-world-bicycle-project-zambia-bike

June 4 Newsletter!

2009-06-04T15:35:00.003-06:00

Super-exciting stuff this month: Volunteer power, new Grassroots web site, web site updates and more! Check it out ...

Grassroots at its best

2009-05-06T13:22:00.002-06:00

Big thanks to Kurt Refsnider -- putting himself through the most grueling MTB race in the world in support of World Bicycle Relief next month. Go Kurt!

... and watch this space for exciting news about our web site, including increased volunteer/Grassroots support!

World Bicycle Relief on WGN

2009-04-20T14:13:00.001-06:00

World Bicycle Relief was profiled on the No. 1 morning show in the Chicago market this morning!

http://www.wgntv.com/pages/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3669969

Congratulations!

2009-04-15T11:52:00.002-06:00

Big congratulations to Grassroots fundraiser Kurt Refsnider on his victory in the self-supported Arizona Trail 300 this weekend! Kurt blistered the course record, finishing in 2 days, 15 hours, more than an hour in front of his nearest competitor. Way to go Kurt!

Kurt will be at Boulder CycleSport tomorrow evening with World Bicycle Relief Grassroots head Katie Bolling if you're in the area. This after-hours event will be a great opportunity to learn more about supporting World Bicycle Relief through your own activities.

Congrats Kurt, and thanks for raising awareness and contributions for World Bicycle Relief!

Copper

2009-04-09T11:50:00.002-06:00

From the BBC:

Zambian mine lays off 1,300 staff

The volatility in copper prices was a contributing factor to Zambia being in the economic situation it is today ... let's hope history isn't repeating itself too closely ...

Heads up Boulder!

2009-04-07T12:48:00.000-06:00

Boulder Cycle Sport to host World Bicycle Relief Grassroots Awareness event April 16

BOULDER, Colo. (April 7, 2009) – The lights will be shining bright on April 16 as Boulder Cycle Sport, 4580 Broadway – Unit B, hosts an after-hours event in support of World Bicycle Relief and its Grassroots campaign.

“This is a chance for us to give back a little bit to a great organization,” says Brandon Dwight, owner of the shop. “It’s an opportunity to get the fantastic Boulder active sports community involved in raising awareness about The Power of Bicycles and the impact a bike can have on someone’s life.”

The event kicks off at 7:30 p.m. with a chance to learn more about the program from World Bicycle Relief Grassroots head Katie Bolling. Then Boulder resident Kurt Refsnider will detail his Grassroots efforts leading up to and racing in the 2,780-mile, self-supported 2009 Tour Divide this June. Refreshments will be served.

“Hearing Kurt’s inspirational story as he trains for the Divide will be amazing,” according to Bolling. “While his event is obviously pretty extreme, it’s just one example of the types of fun things folks can do on behalf of World Bicycle Relief.” Bolling said groups throughout the country are walking, running, riding and taking part in other activities that tell the World Bicycle Relief story.

World Bicycle Relief was founded by SRAM Corporation in 2005 and is supported by many leaders in the bicycle industry. World Bicycle Relief specializes in large-scale, comprehensive bicycle programs by providing supply chain management, technical knowledge and logistics expertise to poverty relief and disaster assistance initiatives. To date, more than 50,000 new bicycles have been provided in support of healthcare, education and economic development opportunities.

Boulder Cycle Sport was named a Top 100 Retailer in 2007, following being named Best New Bike Shop in America in 2006. The mission of Boulder Cycle Sport is to provide the highest level of customer service and to offer cycling products they trust and use themselves. Boulder Cycle Sport strives to be the foremost resource for all cycling needs.

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Newsletter!

2009-04-03T12:20:00.001-06:00

Great stuff this month ... the new newsletter has been posted! Check it out:

http://www.kintera.org/htmlcontent.asp?name=n&cid=88878

Coffee in Ethiopia

2009-03-26T13:20:00.001-06:00

Interesting story from the BBC about export issues in Ethiopia:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7964146.stm

Co-infection

2009-03-24T12:50:00.002-06:00

Interesting piece on the BBC about the link between TB and HIV/AIDS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7959399.stm

Zambia's poor embrace new schools scheme

2009-03-16T07:49:00.001-06:00

Good stuff from the Ministry ... This isn't about our program, but it does highlight the need for basic transportation as many community supporters are walking ...

"In rural African communities, schools have the greatest access to children and their families, which makes them ideally placed to run outreach programmes."

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0316/1224242907585.html

race.the.eight

2009-03-13T09:41:00.003-06:00

For those of you who ride in the Washington, D.C., area, we have a fantastic Grassroots event building momentum: http://www.racethe8.com.

Thanks to the organizers, entry fees are FULLY TAX-DEDUCTIBLE contributions to World Bicycle Relief. Help us spread the word, and come on out on May 10 to race.the.eight!

Racing news

2009-03-04T09:48:00.003-06:00

We don't often publish this type information on this site, but some interesting developments out of Africa in the world of bike racing. From cyclingnews.com:

Task ahead for cycling in Africa
Late last month cycling federations from 26 African nations took part in the Congress of the African Cycling Confederation (ACC) held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
UCI President Pat McQuaid welcomed the record number of African delegations present at the Congress and encouraged them to do more to increase the number of riders in the UCI Africa Tour and continental championships.
Africa has been an area the UCI has attempted to focus its development efforts on during the past five years. Thus far the results have not been as rapid as hoped, although races such as the Tour du Burkina Faso – organised by Amaury Sport Organisation – have helped in raising the profile of cycling on that continent.
Nations such as Ghana, a country better known for producing footballers plying their trade in some of Europe's biggest leagues, are taking steps to increasing the exposure of cycling to its citizens.
Last year, the Ghana Cycling Association and the National Sports Council organised the country's national championships; compared to established cycling nations the titles were a small affair – 64 cyclists from across Ghana competed over a distance of 78km, with Emmanuel Amoako taking the crown. It's a start, however, and the African Cycling Confederation is looking to develop this base.
Head of the African National Federations, Ms. Dominique Raymond, participated in the Congress, explaining upon which principles the subsidy to Continental Confederations is based, and provided information on the contributions of the National Federations and the Solidarity Fund for new projects.
The President of the ACC, Dr. Wagih Azam, was re-elected for another term of four years, while the following members were elected to the Steering Committee of the CWC: Adel Aboshawashi (Libya), Expenditio Chipsaha Chipalo (Zambia), Eugène Die Kacou (Ivory Coast), Thomas Eya'A (Gabon), Jamel Louafi Mohamed (Tunisia), Abdelhaled Khaldoun (Mauritius), Julius Mwangi (Kenya) and Michel Thioub (Senegal).

I'm not entirely sure, but it's likely I met Mr. Chipalo when I was there in late '07 and participated in the Zambian National Championships. Tying a message of hope to the recreation of bike racing is one way to empower and encourage youth ...

Curbing corruption

2009-03-03T15:42:00.000-06:00

The president of Zambia who just passed away, Levy Mwanawasa, began a corruption probe into the actions of his predecessor, Frederick Chiluba. The prosecution just attained a judgement against Mr. Chiluba's wife:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7921415.stm

Climbing Kili

2009-03-02T13:04:00.003-06:00

The BBC asks: How hard is it to climb Mount Kilimanjaro?

The answer is it's doable, especially for a good cause! Our own Dave Neiswander summitted Kili last October for Kili for Kids, providing shoes to kids in need. Dave has become quite the adventurer while in Africa, and is in the throes of training for his first organized bike ride.

All this work for others, from someone who works for others for a living. What an inspiration!

It's a boy!

2009-02-26T14:14:00.001-06:00

Huge congrats to friends of World Bicycle Relief Jeremiah and Erin Bishop! It's a boy!

http://jeremiahbishop.com/blog/index.htm