Free Bikes from BikeTown USA Program

By Kirby Adams

How can the gift of a bicycle change a person's life? We are about to find out. On May 20 at Jefferson Square Park , in downtown Louisville , 50 lucky Louisvillians each got a free bicycle. Yes, that's right, a free, brand spankin' new Schwinn Voyageur bike. They also got a Bell Helmet, a Kryptonite bike lock, headlights and rear flashers from Cat Eye. It's all part of a 20-city nationwide program sponsored by Bicycling Magazine and its acclaimed BikeTown USA program.

More than 500 Louisville residents told Bicycling, in 50 words or less, how receiving a bike would change their lives, or how they would incorporate a bike into their daily commute. The editors of Bicycling selected the 50 most compelling stories, gave each of the authors a bike and will track each participant's progress over the next several months.

Some of the winning entries, such as Shonda Shaffner's, were pretty practical. She asked for a bike for simple a mode of transportation. "I had a car accident in February of this year that totaled my car. If I had a bike I could get to most places that I need to go to without having to depend on everyone else to take me where I need to go."

John Sparks is typical of another group of people who were chosen as winners of the bicycle package. He wants to start down the road to a healthier lifestyle and a bicycle seems the perfect way to spin in that direction. John wrote, "My doctor says I need to exercise more and lose weight to help my Type-II diabetes. A free bike would not only allow me to accomplish my health goals, but allow me to get out and enjoy Louisville 's beautiful parks."

Chris Ashley had a similar reason for requesting a bike. "We are expecting our first child in October. I have made a promise to my wife that I would get 'healthier' for our child. I work approximately 2.5 miles away and, with traffic, could be at work in the same time. I hope to use the saved gas money for diapers and get healthier in the process."

Each winner will chronicle his or her experiences with the bike for three months. We'll all be able to read the results in Bicycling Magazine and on line at www.bicycling.com/biketown.

The BikeTown USA program began in Portland , Maine in 2003 and was quickly expanded to five cities. In 2004 one-third of the 250 BikeTown participants lost noticeable weight - some more than 30 pounds - over a three-month period. On average, participants rode 10 miles per week - mostly for pleasure or exercise, but some like Shaffner road as a form of transportation.

"After we learned how bikes could change lives in Portland , Maine in 2003, we wanted to see how bikes could transform communities," says Steve Madden, editor-in-chief of Bicycling. "So we asked people in our chosen cities to tell us what they'd do with a bike." Steve says they heard some amazing stories of lives transformed. Now the magazine is looking at changing communities. Louisville could certainly become a much more bike-friendly town. Let's see what the 50 new bikes and cyclists on the road will do for our city.

Kirby Adams is the consumer reporter for Kentuckiana's News Channel WHAS-11, team captain for Team Crusade and a sports and fitness buff. You can e-mail Kirby at kirby.adams@whas11.com. Kirby is also a member of Kentuckiana HealthFitness' Editorial Advisory Board.  

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Kirby Adams
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