Malkolm is cycling on! He is now cycling from Alaska to Washington DC, and then continuing on to the UN Climate Change conference in Cancun in December.
It all started with Bird Year, Malkolm and his parents' year-long, fossil-fuel-free journey in search of birds. Cycling a total of 13,133 miles (21,144 km), they identified 548 different bird species and raised more than $25,000 for bird conservation. Bird Year turned them into confirmed cyclists and taught them that climate change was more serious than they had thought.
In 2009, Malkolm biked from Whitehorse to Ottawa as a part of Pedal for the Planet: the project called for the Canadian Government to become a leader in the struggle to come to grips with climate change. The Harper Government did not even meet with the young cyclists.
Malkolm is now 18 and just finished high school. On August 24, he dipped his foot in the Pacific Ocean in Skagway, Alaska. Then headed up and over the White Pass to the Alaska Highway on his journey to Washington and on to Cancun.



Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Boots Boothroyd, Seawall & Cellphones (Wendy)


Malkolm has a firm bicycling heritage. My dad, now 86, has always loved the freedom of cycling, the wind in his hair. He hates bike helmets. (He believes they increase your chance of a serious neck injury, plus they interfere with the wind in your hair.) Boots rides a 10 speed with a very high seat and skinny tires. We all rode down to the White Spot for dinner. With his bum in the air and head crouched low, he disappeared down the hill like a bat out of hell. I cautiously followed, praying he wouldn't hit gravel. I don't want to see blood spurting out from his head of fine windblown white hair.
We spent 5 days in Vancouver. We rode on the seawall in Stanley Park on a sunny Saturday. The path was full of holidayers and healthy Vancouverites out exercizing. We actually were able to overtake a few of the cyclists, which made me feel like a real athlete.
As we headed out of town, a well dressed cyclist rode slowly ahead of us, up the sidewalk of Lion's Gate Bridge. She was talking on her cellphone. She was not paying attention to the road. As Malkolm passed her she swerved, and knocked him into the guardrail.
There ought to be a law about cycling and cellphones.

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