Del Ray Rallies Around “Neighborhood Bike Guy”
By Maureen Schweers
Over 250 people participated in a fundraiser to help VéloCity Bicycle Cooperative founder Christian Myers in his fight against cancer. “Del Ray once again proved why it is one of the best places to live. We’re surrounded by people who genuinely care for their neighbors and those in our community,” said event organizer Lindsay Nelson. “Combine that love of local community with the DC bike community; some of the most genuine, selfless, and loyal people I’ve ever had the pleasure of calling friends, and you get the outpouring of love we all saw.”
Myers and John Patterson co-founded Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative in 2010, seeing the need for a community-based and volunteer-run bicycle co-op in Alexandria to grow and empower a more inclusive biking community through affordability, education, and embracing the fun of riding. Christian manages Vélocity’s bike shop operations and the youth education program. In partnership with the Alexandria Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the Alexandria Fire Department, Vélocity collects hundreds of unwanted bikes every year and refurbishes and distributes them — along with helmets — to children from low-income families. They also have a Bike Scholarship Program to help residents from either low-income families, local shelters, and transitional housing to obtain a bicycle which can be used for free transportation, and they host free bike repair workshops with non-profits such as the Alexandria Boys & Girls Club, plus many other programs in the Alexandria community.
Between the fundraiser and a GoFundMe campaign, the community raised over $20,000 for Myers as he undergoes treatment Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
