From Bike Trail to Bike Kitchen (4)
In Albany-almost halfway to the border-I stayed with the family of one of the students.
But if you cycled the trail in a week, you had to ride more than 50 miles a day. Right?
It sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? But once you’ve done a day or two of that distance, riding 60 or 70 miles is no big deal. And having a support vehicle was a great help. I had one setback when my bike just stopped functioning. My buddies were quick to identify the problem and fix the bike with the tools and parts they brought. At the end of our trip, we loaded our bikes onto the train and went back to New York City.
So, whose idea was it to go as far as the border?
Actually, the trip was a dress rehearsal for the Albany students. They want to start as a bike kitchen after they graduate.
A bike kitchen? What’s that? A bicycle version of a good track?
No, no. A bike kitchen is a place for people to repair their bikes, learn about safe cycling and support sustainable transportation by helping get more people on bikes. They’re also involved with community movements, aren’t they? I’ve read that some Australian bike kitchens work to give free bikes to asylum seekers, refugees and people in need.
