I haven’t been riding my bike here during the Winter in Cleveland, but I do think about when it is a little warmer and I pump up the tires and start to ride it again. Individuals who ride bikes usually have a strong bond to their bike, and lots of bike stories. Some of my memorable bike moments include almost being pulled off a bike by teenagers in Oakland, CA, riding a bike and picking apples along the way with my friend Ian, and biking across the San Francisco bridge when I was an artist in residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, CA.
The website GOOD did a contest for the best bike photo and story, where winners would win a year’s supply of CLIF bars and a nonprofit chosen by the winner would get a $5,000 grant. Second and Third place winners received a bike messenger bag full of CLIF Bars and they got to choose a nonprofits to receive a $2,500 grant.
Michael Riccobono was the grand prize winner, with his story called Turtle Patrol. He picked the nonprofit, Boston Cyclists Union, to receive the $5,000 grant. This group promotes biking as everyday transportation by advocating for safe and convenient cycling facilities throughout the Boston area.
Here is Riccobono’s winning story:
Turtle Patrol
Pedaling to work one morning, I noticed a rock dodging cars. I pulled on my brakes and jumped to the rescue of a bewildered snapping turtle. We were just outside Boston, surrounded by concrete and tires – not exactly turtle paradise.
My lost friend was getting restless. Was he headed to the Shell Station down the block? If I was a turtle, I reasoned, I would want to be in the Cambridge Reservoir. I had to act fast.
Attaching my helmet to the bike’s rack and putting the turtle inside seemed too risky. I decided to place him in the outer mesh netting of my backpack and pedal onward. A quarter mile later, something scraped at the back of my neck. I turned my head and came face-to-face with a real-life ninja turtle. Terrified, I reached for the turtle and swerved off the road. My front tire hit a ditch hard. In one swift and unrepeatable motion, I caught the turtle and barrel-rolled onto the grass.
He was hiding in his shell, but I could swear that I saw a grin on his face. I introduced him to some blueprints in my pack’s deepest pocket and zipped it closed. Who knew turtles could climb? I finally made it the reservoir and opened my backpack. Out of a shell came a head, and out of a nylon sack came a turtle. With hare-beating speeds, he dashed into the water and swam away.
You can read the runners up stories From Austin to Alaska by Shiyam Galyon and Stolen Bike, Answers to Maddie by Ashley Donald on GOOD’s website.
Image Source:
Good Contest: Share a Bike Photo and Your Best Bike Story Contest
Links:
Good Contest: Share a Bike Photo and Your Best Bike Story Contest
Top 15 Stories – Good Contest – Share a Bike Photo and Your Best Bike Story