Show #319 – October 29, 2016

Guests: Jacob VanSickle; Euan Wilson; Mighk Wilson

Great Show with 3 guests and 3 topics.

First up, Bike Cleveland’s director Jacob VanSickle talks about the Cleveland Refugee Bike Project. In its initial fund-raising phase, the project is “looking to fund a one-year pilot program, launching officially in Spring 2017. Before the project officially launches, the project partners – Bike Cleveland, Catholic Charities Migration & Refugee Services, and the Ohio City Bicycle Co-Op – will work together to secure the necessary supplies and develop culturally appropriate training curricula to provide to participants.”

According to the information on the fundraising platform, ioby.org:

Approximately 1,000 refugees relocate to Cleveland each year. They can provide new life and serve as an economic driver for our region, but only if they are able to access opportunities. Most new refugees lack access to a car, and many struggle to get around on a public transportation system that continues to cut service and raise fares.

The Cleveland Refugee Bike Project will provide refugees with a bike – an economic lifeline that can connect them to new employment, educational, and social opportunities. We will also give participants the training and tools they need to learn how to safely bike around the region. In this way, the program will help them to build a new life in Cleveland and guarantee that the city benefits from all the assets they bring to the table.

Then we head all the way over to Inverness Scotland to talk with Euan Wilson, director of H+I Adventures. The company offers mountain bike tours worldwide and just introduced a brand new 8 day tour to the Fjords of Norway they are calling Into the Labyrinth. Not for the faint of heart, the tour is rated “advanced” and offers spectacular riding along with breathtaking views.

Finally, we head down to Orlando to catch up with Mighk Wilson from Cycling Savvy. Mighk will be heading up to Philadelphia for the Philly Bike Expo where he and John Schubert will be talking about the instructional courses that Cycling Savvy is offering along with some current information about riding safely and confidently on the road.