Activating Project Rwanda

Friend of Activeness (FOA) Kevin, who competed with JPD at the Duathlon World Championship in Newfoundland, is involved with Project Rwanda with his friend, legendary mountain bike designer Tom Ritchey. The purpose of Project Rwanda is to use the bicycle to advance economic development in Rwanda, which was devastated by tribal genocide and the deaths of almost a million Rwandans in 1994. (Hotel Rwanda is a must-see movie.)

VeloNews has the story.

"The first time I came to Rwanda, I was amazed at the cycling talent I saw there and thought that these guys could be great bike racers," Ritchey said. "One guy hauled 220 pounds of water on each three-kilometer trip (and then rode back three kilometers with empty containers). He did 15 trips a day. That's 90 kilometers a day (carrying 220 pounds of weight for half of those). And he rode barefoot on bare pedal spindles."

Ritchey is designing a completely new, locally produced and maintained bike that the Rwandans will be able to use to haul coffee beans.