My first bicycle (as an adult), Chesty La Rue, is heading off to greener pastures.

I am very lucky to have all that I have. Recently, I saw an item in a Bike Fort Collins newsletter about a bike advocate connecting people who have extra bikes with local immigrants in need of one.

Many of us regularly use bikes for commuting or running errands, but we might not think about those without cars, who need bikes for their primary (only!) transportation. Recently arrived immigrants or asylum seekers often rely on bikes for all essential activities. Lisa Evans, a Bicycle Ambassador with FC Moves’ Bicycle Ambassador Program, helps local immigrant support networks by providing donated bikes to populations in need. She works with cyclists in our community to collect bike donations and teaches bicycle recipients rules of the road, routes to work and stores, and basic bike maintenance.

Bike Fort Collins

For the past two years, I have only ridden one bike: Ginsburg. However, I did have a second bike taking up space in the garage: Chesty La Rue, the darling chestnut-colored road bike that Dan built for me from a vintage Schwinn Continental frame.

Chesty La Rue is incredibly dear to me. She was a gift from my husband, and the bike I first rode on the streets and trails of Colorado. She introduced me to the freedom and joy of bicycling.

But she’s not meant to be a dusty trophy. She has a lot of life left in her, and if there’s a chance that Chesty La Rue can give someone else in my community that same joy of cycling, then that’s an easy choice.

(“Easy,” though as she drove away I stood in my front yard watering the plants and crying. And then I moved on.)

Farewell, Chesty La Rue, and godspeed!