Posted on June 21, 2012

Red-Bell 100 Rider Renews His Love for Cycling

Agen Schmitz is finishing his preparations for the upcoming Red-Bell 100, and has raised over $1,300 to support World Bicycle Relief and Cascade Bicycle Club Educationl Foundation through the ride. Here is Agen's story in his own words:

I first heard of World Bicycle Relief through a friend who worked with them in Africa. WBR's work intrigued me because it reminded me a lot of my high school and college years, when I didn't have enough money to buy a car, but I could afford a bike. So I relied on pedal power to get me to wherever I needed to be. And when I got to my newly adopted home of Seattle in the early 1990s, I was determined to be as reliant on cycling as my main mode of transportation as I was before I owned a car. Even when I was experimenting with bread-baking as a career, I delivered bread to all of my clients on my bike.

Since then, my lifestyle has shifted toward car usage and my biking has waned due to a variety of factors. But the World Bicycle Relief Red-Bell 100 has energized me to return to biking, and it's been a great way to remind my body that I'm still young, even at 45!

My 5-year-old son has also been inspired by all of his father's cycling, and has really taken to riding his bike for the first time. I'm happy to inspire him to get cycling and I also hope that I can instill in him why this ride is important--not just for the miles I'll be covering but also for the good works that I'm helping to spread with my fundraising.