BikinginLA

It’s been a tough decision.

As you’ll recall, last month we asked people to write in to nominate someone they thought deserved a free bicycle from Beachbikes.net.

There were some great entries, from someone who was living carfree and could use a bike to make getting around easier, to the president of a school bike club who needed a new ride.

But in the end, two entries really stood out.

Since I struggled to make a choice, I reached out to a few trusted people to ask their advice. And in the end, their opinions coalesced around a single choice.

So with no further ado, here’s your winner.

My daughter needs a new bike to replace the 24 inch one she has outgrown. She’s a high school senior and almost six feet tall, but the 29er I was hoping for her to grow into has too large a frame even for her long legs. She really needs a 26 inch ladies cruiser bike. A brand new pretty one like those pictured would most certainly get her excited about riding again. We could all go for group rides as a family.

We’re a little short of money right now since last May, when my wife had to quit her job to care for me after I got beaten and stabbed in the head. If she were to win it would definitely help our family on our road to recovery and healing from the resulting stress this violent crime has had on us. I was actually stabbed right in front of our house and my wife and daughter came out after hearing my screams for help only to see me covered in blood. They called 911 for police and fire to come, took photos, and drove with me to Kaiser to get stitched up.

I’ll be contacting him to provide the information needed to claim the prize for his daughter. And best wishes for a full recovery.

However, I’m also going to post the entry from the second choice finisher, since I really wished I had another bike to give away. Maybe someone out there has a new or slightly used bike you don’t need anymore and would be willing to pass on to someone who could used it.

The person I’m nominating is a young attorney with a public attorney’s office. She is incredibly smart and capable and she turned down $200K+ salary offers to instead represent the poor and marginalized of Los Angeles.

She once expressed to me her theoretical desire to bike to work, but explained that she had never done so because (1) she doesn’t own a bicycle, and (2) she never learned how to ride and has always been terrified at the idea. So I offered to teach her. And let me tell you, as a 28-year-old biking novice confronting her lifelong fear, she has proven to be as determined and brave as any cyclist I’ve ever seen on the streets of Los Angeles.

I’ve lent her the crappiest old Schwinn beach cruiser you’ve ever seen, and where most people wouldn’t even touch such a rusty hunk of junk, she’s ridden every chance she gets. She’s a great person, she does amazing things for our community, and she sure could use a nice bike to get to work on.*

Unfortunately, I don’t know what size bike she needs. But if you’d like to help, I’ll put you in touch with the person who nominated her.

*I’ve rewritten this slightly to remove identifying information to protect her privacy.

Update: I’ve received a very generous offer from an anonymous donor to buy our second-place finisher a new bicycle. So this is literally a win/win. 

And a very sincere thanks to that anonymous donor for his generosity!