Inspiring Kids to Ride Bicycles and Read Books
On day 2 of Interbike in Las Vegas, we were invited to share in the Ride for Reading Book Delivery. Hundreds of books had been donated for this very special and heartwarming ride to Peterson Elementary School. We were honored. The heart and soul of this magnificent non-profit Matthew Portell, along with the ladies of MAGIC 6 elite Jet Cycling Team, were on hand to welcome all the rides for the 9am start.
Pivot and BH Cycles were at our service, providing bicycles to those of us who did not have one. I was able to ride a BH Speedrom, I’m always happy to hop on something new and welcomed the opportunity.
Portell, founder and director of Ride for Reading made a few announcements to the crowd, including safety notes, route information and a few words on what to expect when we arrived at the school. Books were packed in bags and trailers and we were soon on our way.
I recognized some of the folks from Cross Vegas, so we were chatty, enjoying an unusually cool morning in Vegas.
The ride wasn’t far but we thoroughly enjoyed the police-escorted, 1 mile cruise to the school. When we turned the last corner, we were greeted by happy kids cheering and high-fiving us as we entered the parking lot. The experience was so touching it gave me goosebumps.
What an inspiring event!!! I’m the web guy at Swiftwick and not the accomplished rider everyone else there certainly is….
This was my first Ride for Reading experience and my first ride in… well, way too long. About a mile into the ride, I realized my borrowed bike (thanks to Pivot for their support) was a rocket ship compared to my bike back at home. I was unfamiliar with shifting gears and struggling to keep up until a rider came along beside and pulled me by my handlebars as he instructed me on where the down shift paddle was. Crisis averted with minimal exposure to my biking ignorance. Phew!
Minutes later, I spotted Rich Dillon, one of the pro riders wearing a Swiftwick kit. That’s when I made an ill-advised attempt to ride with one hand while aiming my camera phone and waiting for it to come on…. I was distracted. Do you know how effective disc brakes are these days? Left hand = front break. In slow motion, I flipped over the handle bars and landed with the grace of a belly flop in an empty pool. I popped to my feet (“nothing to see here folks”) and only a few volunteers got the free chuckle at my expense.
Back at the expo, I had to explain the road rash to my team in the Swiftwick booth, where nobody missed the opportunity to rib me. Who else eats pavement on less than a two mile, police escorted, casual ride?
I’m honored to have been asked to participate in this ride, even if my secret is out about being a novice rider. Believe me, I was paying attention when Mathew Portell delivered his bicycle safety speech to the kids.
Thanks for the story David! I got a little chuckle too… Love the Rich Dillon – Pro Rider plug. Did he put you up to that?