RIF:: The Most Joyful Young Cyclist

Stopping to check in with mama

Our latest Ride it Forward℠ winner, Sam, was nominated as the The Most Joyful Young Cyclist by proud mom, Denise DeGhelder. Her winning entry won her daughter a brand new 2012 Burlington Terry Bicycle! Read Denise’s entry: This is my wonderfully amazing and resourceful daughter Sam. She is seen here on a bike trip up the coast from CA to Canada that was funded through a grant she wrote and was awarded as part of her undergraduate degree in Social Ecology. She is riding an old Fiji touring bike of my husbands that she rigged up to work for her through the bike co-op at her college (Truman State) that she helped start. The tours purpose was to visit sustainable organic farms and farmers markets and document their practices. The entire trip was documented in the student visitors center after she graduated… including her helmet and and other memorabilia. She camped all but a few nights on this 5+ week trip! She has rode this same bike on many shorter biking trips for fun, in a Bike MS fundraiser with me and it’s her only form of transportation in Columbia Missouri where she works for AmeriCorp as Urban Farm Outreach VISTA coordinator. I could not be more proud of the strong, independent, caring person she has become or think of a more worthy, inspiring person to be awarded one of your bikes. Thank you so much for your consideration!