My Favorite Day of the Year

For the past seven years, I've put together a Velo Girls team for the Turning Wheels for Kids Big Bike Build in San Jose.  I never had a new bike as a child.  I had hand-me-downs from my sisters and rummage sale bikes purchased by my grandmother.  My first brand new bike was a Specialized Hard Rock I purchased when I was 25 years old.  So, the thought of providing new bikes to underserved children resonates with me.

This year we had an awesome, co-ed team of 25 volunteer bike builders.  Some of them have participated in the build in previous years.  Some of them had never built a bike before.  But together, we helped build 2,400 bikes in about three and a half hours.

Turning Wheels for Kids is a GREAT organization and they've been expanding their reach each year since their inception in 2004.  In addition to an increasing number of bikes/children served, they're now offering bikes at other times of the year as well as bike maintenance and riding clinics.  Check out their site, click around, make a donation, get involved, get your company involved, be inspired to start a similar program!

Susan Runsvold, the founder of TWFK

Before:  2,400 bikes to be built by 800 volunteers

Team Velo Girls with some of our pretty blue cruisers

some of the 2,400 finished bikes

this pretty much sums up the experience

Do you remember your first bike?  What was your first brand new bike?  How did you receive it?