Bikes Not Bombs, Inc.

Last September, I biked my first 100-mile ride, raising ~$500 for Bikes Not Bombs in the process. This year, I'll be riding 3200 miles along the East Coast, from Maine to Florida and am hoping to raise even more in the process.

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Like many people, I purchased a bike in April 2021 during peak pandemic. The immediate reason was to commute and get around while avoiding public transit, lowering my exposure to COVID-19. But I quickly learned just how much I love cycling: it's great exercise, is the best way to navigate Boston, saves money in the long run, and is, for me, a really wonderful de-stressor. I'm on my bike nearly every day either commuting or exploring greater Boston and genuinely have a blast doing so.

When I visited Copenhagen last year, perhaps the second-best biking city on Earth, I was amazed: about half the population commutes every day via bicycle, so the city is structured around cyclists and pedestrians, not cars and trucks. The city is happier and more functional, and this person-centric philosophy is something I believe every city should strive for. I'm sure some of you have heard me rant about it before, but these days I don't shut up about cycling and its benefits. I try to convince everyone I know, regardless of where/how they live, to get and use a bike. It really has become a passion of mine.

That said, not everyone has access to the relevant tools, training, infrastructure, community, or even just a bike itself needed for this "cycling utopia", especially in urban environments like Boston. One organization dedicated to changing that is Bikes Not Bombs, to whom you would donate to. The goal of Bikes Not Bombs is to "use the bicycle as a vehicle for social change to achieve economic mobility for Black and other marginalized people in Boston and the Global South." They frequently send literal shipping containers full of bikes to Africa and the Caribbean to help grow the cycling communities there.

So I'm hoping to raise $1 for every mile I bike, about $3200 in total, to help Bikes Not Bombs achieve their goal and bring cycling, something I've come to love, something that's made me a happier and healthier human being, something that can genuinely make the world a better place, to everyone in Boston and beyond. Anything you can offer, whether it be 1 penny, 1 dollar, or 100 dollars, makes a difference. And please let others know!

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Many of you know that I have been preparing for nearly 2 years to participate in 29029. Hosted at Stratton Mtn in Vermont, 29029 is an "opportunity" to climb 29,029 vertical feet in 36 hours or less. At 6 a.m. on Friday, October 15, I will start ascending Stratton Mtn with the hope of doing that 17 times before 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 16.

While my reasons for chasing this endeavor are healthy, they contain a somewhat selfish element. Similarly, the amount of time and resources spent to prepare for, and participate in this event is also . . . selfish. Meanwhile, the moral support provided by so many friends during my long hours of training (and my virtual 29029 dress rehearsal in October 2020) has been plentiful and exceeded only by the incredible patience of Jenn and our kids while I chase this goal.

Quite simply, the time has come to pay it forward. To that end, I hope that my 29029 quest can raise money and awareness for a non-profit organization with whom I started volunteering about a year ago. Based in Jamaica Plain, Bikes Not Bombs uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change to achieve economic mobility for Black and other marginalized people in Boston and the Global South. The work of Bikes not Bombs includes:

Thanks for your support. Don't overthink it. Please donate.

Keep climbing,

Andy