Help Replace Elijah's Stolen Enduro Racing Bike

Losing the tools that allow you to do the thing that you love is devastating, and when that happens, it’s vital that communities rally. We are starting this crucial fundraiser because Elijah Espiritu - competitive mountain biker, co-owner of Quiet Storm R&B in Hillcrest, and founding member of DJ collective Flavre Springs - had his 2019 Haibike stolen.

Many of us know Elijah day-to-day as the friendly face serving up fresh and delicious drinks and baking up a mean quiche. He makes everyone smile, noticing and appreciating the small details of our lives, and he’s a kind and listening ear at the end of another long day or week. His rare days off? Usually spent helping someone, fixing something… or training for a race.

In October, Elijah was sponsored for a competitive race in Arkansas: a long-time dream of his. In between long hours at the cafe, he threw everything he had into tireless training ahead of the big event. Just days before he was set to hop on a plane with his bike, he had a terrible collision resulting in a broken finger, a torn tendon, and a wrecked bike. In a nightmarish turn of events, at the peak of his mountain-biking career, he found himself on the bench: restlessly resting, and then finally coming to terms with that rest, all the while continuing to run the shop with fingers in splints.

In the first week of January, things started to move quickly in a happier direction: Elijah received the all-clear from his doctor to remove the splints and start physical therapy. Everyone around him watched as he proudly showed off how close he was to being able to close his hands enough to grip a bike handle. Meanwhile, he saved up enough to get his bike fixed. Things all came to a head Friday, January 27th: almost four months after the big accident. In the morning, he excitedly picked up his newly repaired bike and headed to work as usual.

That night as he closed up the cafe, he brought his car around to the front for a few minutes, intending to wrap up some tasks before meeting with a friend for a joyride: his much-anticipated return after four months of sitting on the sidelines. In locking up the cafe for the night, he immediately noticed something was wrong: the bike was missing. In the few minutes he had been inside securing the shop, someone had snipped the bike lock and removed it from the rack of his car. It was gone.

As a community, we’re calling on you to help us get Elijah back on a bike. Mountain biking has been his joy and passion since 2019, and he has worked so hard to come back from this injury to rejoin the competitive scene. All who know him recognize how crucial it is that he has the tools and access to nurture his competitive spirit and do what he loves. If it were not for the injury and theft, it is doubtless that he would be currently training for his 2024 competitive tour. The process of resting has been a major challenge for him, as it would be for any competitor, and so we’re calling on you as a community to help him past this one final hurdle. It’s time for Elijah to get back to what he loves. Will you help?

Your contribution no matter how big or small is so appreciated. Much love to you as we all take this next step together.