Bike4U

I suppose most, if not all of us have taken a spin on a bike, be it the generic ones or those incomprehensively exotic hybrids. The thrill and experience on these two-wheeled, human-powered contraption is different as you can practically go anywhere you please as long as the wheels touch the ground.

Several Saturday mornings ago, a fun ride was held starting at the Asiatown IT Park in Lahug and ended at the Liloan Central School grounds. About 200 cyclists participated, including four of Liloan’s more athletic councilors like Adi Pilones, Leo Salundaguit, Kit Comendador and Cocoy Jumapao. It would be an anomaly to consider myself as athletic considering that my mountain bike has become an expensive clothes rack.

Among others, the local government of Liloan and Dodong Gamay Frasco of Titay’s helped in supporting the event organized by the Bike4U Foundation. The funds generated from the fun ride will be used to pay for customs duties for a container-load of bicycles and related stuffs from Europe.

What exactly does Bike4U do? For starters, it is a non-profit, cause-oriented organization established on November 2006 with the purpose of using the bicycle in building skills and fostering personal growth among young adults through bicycle related programs and services.

Headed by Jens Funk with Meyrick Jacalan as treasurer and fellow Bosconian Roy Zapata as secretary, the foundation works to provide everyone a bicycle, with the idea that each one should have a bike, giving that person the option to use it for commuting, recreation, fitness or maybe as a means of livelihood.

The foundation has programs that reaches out to the masses, one of them is to provide low-income earners with fully functional commuter bikes and train them on commuting safely on bikes. The bikes come from abroad but the foundation is working out on bike recycling programs that will give a more cheaper and viable alternative to address the commuting needs of the beneficiaries.

Kids will be looking forward for the holidays as bikes will be distributed to them and they get to choose what they like, provided these kids have not previously owned a bike. They will be accordingly taught on proper bike handling for several sessions and will culminate in a fun ride.

The foundation reaches out to the community thru volunteers by giving trainings and seminars on basic bicycle maintenance, riding and safety and other related programs. It also welcomes donations related to bicycles, be it jerseys, shorts, gloves, tires or spare parts. A fully outfitted bike would be most welcome, so go for it people. It’s for a good cause. For more info on the foundation, pedal to cyberspace and zero in on www.bike4u.org.

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If you happen to live somewhere after Consolacion,

you must have noticed that this town has a liking for barriers on their streets, be it steel or concrete. Somewhere farther, there is about a 20-meter stretch of highway which has now become a cross between a lunar landscape and the Cansaga riverbed. Adding laughter to the joke is some kind of a disclaimer on the side of the road stating that the local government is not responsible for the repairs as it is a national road. Well and good. So what’s up with all those damned obstacles on the national road? Maybe the powers that be can pulverize all those concrete barriers and it would be more than enough to fill up those craters on the road. Sa mangil-ad nga dalan among gi-agian, inyo kaming panabangan.

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