What started as a couple of old bikes, a group of middle school kids, and a love for riding has turned into a multi-city youth, adult, and senior cycling organization whose mission is to help all people access the world by bike.
“We see a future in which all ages and abilities can explore and connect with their communities by bicycle, and all have access to bikes at an affordable cost.”
That’s the Ghisallo Cycling Initiative (GCI) – a non-profit cycling organization whose roots started in Austin and expanded to San Antonio. The group’s core is a team of 9 passionate, bike loving, adventurous people, plus part-time staff, volunteers, community members, and participants who couldn’t be more happy to bring the joy of cycling to people of all ages and abilities.
Central Texas offers bountiful days to enjoy the sun and warm weather – and Ghisallo proactively gets people out biking, exploring trails, and connecting with their surrounding environments through its programs.
From Cycle Academy (youth-focused) to Golden Rollers (older adults and seniors), and City Cyclist for all ages in between, Ghisallo Cycling Initiative has been dedicated to enabling historically underserved populations to access their interests by bicycle since 2012. The organization provides direct services at no cost to the public including education & encouragement, skills training & support for new riders, route & navigation assistance, solutions to community transportation barriers, and much more. The Ghisallo team is intentional about where they focus the services, coordinating alongside AISD Title I schools, parks and recreation centers, and senior activity centers to bring bikes and active programming to people where they already are.
Our cycling programs encourage participants to explore the world on two (or 3) wheels and start with foundational skills around bicycle safety, and rules and responsibilities. All ages are taught our 5 Steps to Helmet Fitting to ensure proper and safe helmet placement before heading out on a ride. The ABCD Quick Check ensures that our riders have bikes in proper working order each time they are ready to roll. Once on the road, we cover hand signals, stopping, riding with a bubble, routes + navigation – all of which all help improve confidence in riding skills and abilities.
Weekday mornings are dedicated towards rolling with the seniors on tricycles, through the Boggy Creek Greenbelt Trail to Town Lake, and all roads in between with the Golden Rollers program. In the afternoons, you can find the team leading after-school bike clubs and cruising with students from AISD elementary schools all over the city, including popsicles and park time! Weekends are dedicated to the community – from teaching little ones how to balance and pedal with the BikeStart (learn-to-ride) program, to neighborhood Fix-a-Thons, Adult Beginning City Cycling and Commuter Skills clinics, and group rides to celebrate festivities, activate trails, or to just enjoy the outdoors and build relationships.
Due to the pandemic, many of Ghisallo’s traditional direct programs have been on hold since March 2020. In the meantime, the team has focused on checking in with the community and maintaining relationships, offering educational resources online, building and donating bikes, sharing self-guided rides, and coordinating intergenerational activities delivering Golden Notes (hand written cards and pen-pal letters) to seniors and Wheelie Good Snack Packs (healthy snacks) to kids – all by bike!
For Bike Month (May) we have partnered with the Austin Independent School District to present Bike & School Day – a day to celebrate all things bicycle! We expect over 20 Elementary Schools and thousands of Austin students to participate in the virtual bike event, and then throughout the rest of the month, students are encouraged to participate in our virtual Bicycle Skills Challenge, virtual Bike Club, and socially distanced rides with incentives like free bikes, lights, and GCI swag.
Stay tuned for what other programs and events Ghisallo has to offer in 2021 as the team continues to help others get comfortable and confident biking in Central Texas!
Follow along on the Ghisallo Facebook Page
We would love to feature your non-profit (or not-for-profit) that is working to make the bike community the best damn community on planet earth.
Email us at pennyfarthingordeath@gmail.com
