“We feel that it is incumbent upon us brick and mortar retailers as pillars of the cycling community to support advocacy efforts of all types geared towards inclusivity and supporting efforts to groom the next generation of cyclists,” said Nik Obriecht, general manager of Race Pace Bicycles in Baltimore. As a cooperative of independent bike retailers, this dynamic is central to everything we do: empowering local bike shops to stay local and sustain the cultural, social and economic advantages they bring to their communities.īike Cooperative members noted the importance of bicycle retailers in promoting advocacy efforts and engaging their communities through bicycling. Bikes empower kids from communities across the country to experience things that might not have been possible without a set of wheels, and our members are excited to make that happen for more kids.Īs local retailers know: when nearly 70 cents of every locally spent dollar stays local, the result is better funding for community programs like trails, classes, programs and more. The donated funds will help support youth cycling groups nationwide complete their Youth Bike Summit Justice Journey, where they will ride bikes in their communities to raise awareness and funds for accommodation and transportation to the Youth Bike Summit in fall of 2021 in Atlanta.Īs a co-op of local bike retailers, community is critical to us. (listed below), as well as matched donations from The Bike Cooperative itself. That’s why The Bike Cooperative is excited to support PeopleForBikes and the Youth Bike Summit with nearly $13,000 in donations from member retailers across the U.S. Bikes can also play an important role in our climate change goals, resiliency planning and mobility justice.”Ĭhildren are our future, and the role our communities play in amplifying their potential has never been more clear.
Bikes can be a smart solution to help improve urban mobility, air quality, traffic congestion and mental and physical health. Jenn Dice, PeopleForBikes’ new President and CEO, put it best in her recent op-ed, “We are witnessing a momentum for bikes as an instrument of change. As the bike industry experiences unprecedented demand, it’s also clear that bikes and bike retailers can make a real difference. With more people cycling worldwide, the intersection of challenge and potential is clear. Many of them are BIG challenges - the kind we might often think a bicycle has nothing to do with.Īs the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, as many of The Bike Cooperative’s independent members have experienced, the world rekindled its love for the potential in two wheels: for recreation, transportation, health, community, mobility and more. 2020 has taught us many lessons, and one of the biggest things we’ve learned is that the world is widely connected and so are its challenges.
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