While the destruction wrought by March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan paralyzed trains and automobiles, the humble bicycle continued to move people.
“People in general tend to take bikes for granted; but, in situations such as this, bikes can literally mean the difference between life and death,” said Henry Osborn, the founder of Bikesforjapan, a local initiative collecting and distributing donated bikes in the hard-hit northern region of the country.
With much of the infrastructure in Tohoku destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami, residents have been relying on bikes to get around.
“From a practical perspective, particularly in the weeks following the tsunami, people literally had no other way to get around other than on foot,” said Osborn. “Cars, buses, trains, motorbikes and boats were all washed away and destroyed.”
Bikesforjapan was inspired by bike mechanic Daiki Mochizuki, who traveled north from Saitama into the tsunami zone with a plan to fix people’s bikes for free. What he found was a massive need for more bikes, as most people’s bicycles had been washed away or destroyed. He started asking his friends if they had any they’d like to donate. After just two months, more than 400 bikes had been given to families and grassroots organizations in Tohoku.
Like Bikesforjapan, Bikes for Tohoku is collecting and distributing bikes to individuals and groups in the region. But the group, spearheaded by the “three amigos” – Lowell Sheppard, Anthony Torres and Mark McBennett – behind the Japan Coast to Coast cycling tour, is also working on a fundraising ride and cycling festival to help encourage the rebirth of tourism in the area.
“There are wonderfully scenic peninsulas reaching out into the sea with corresponding inlets, bays and coves reaching deep inland,” noted Sheppard. “Tragically, this configuration of the coastline added to the ferocity of the tsunami that swept away so many lives and destroyed entire communities.”
Lending a Hand
Cyclists on this side of the Pacific have also been supporting people affected by the earthquake and tsunami
+ Endurance Conspiracy released a “chari-tee” shirt for Japan relief, raising money for Friends of the Earth Japan and the Japanese Red Cross
+ Rapha matched funds donated for its Rapha Rides for Tohoku, held in five cities in North America, Europe and Asia
+ The New York Bike Messenger Foundation hosted the I Think I’m Turning Japan-Aid bicycle race and party
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First Annual Tohoku Cycling Festival and Tohoku Coast t2 Coast
Posted by lowell sheppard August 01, 2011 03:36:50