Charlie's Freewheels (CFW), a non-profit that provides bike skills workshops to youth, is hosting a bike tour through Regent Park, where many of the participants live. According to CFW,
Youth tenants of Regent Park who are participants of Charlie’s Freewheels will lead Torontonians in a bicycle tour of their community, sharing their stories and experience of the neighbourhood. The ride, which will wind through Regent and surrounding areas, will begin at the centre of Allan Gardens and close with a BBQ and Q and A with the youth.
The ride starts at Allen Gardens at 3pm (east side of the Greenhouse - map).
CityTV covered CFW, and Charlie Prinsep, the man for whom the organization is called:
Prinsep was just 23-years-old when his ambitious and free-spirited life came to a tragic end while in the midst of a summer-long cycling journey from Vancouver to Toronto. He meticulously planned and documented his experiences on his blog 'The Double Cross' and geo-tagged his locations along the way.
Fueled by roadside strawberries and burgers, Charlie rode almost 2,000km in the first few weeks of his odyssey, which was scheduled to conclude at the end of August, after which he would head to France to earn his Master's in urban planning.
His final blog post on July 31th, 2007, read: 'Tomorrow I ride 150km over Roger's Pass to Golden. It should be a good one!'
On August 3rd he was killed after being struck from behind by a car on the shoulder of the Trans-Canada Highway near Brooks, Alta.
Not long after, the idea for Charlie's Freewheels, a program which teaches youth from Regent Park to build a bike from scratch, was born.
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