Saturday!! Ride & Talk with Ezra Caldwell

Repost from the Bike Pgh blog, because Erok did such a damn fine job writing this up!

Join BRICKS for Young Adults for a ride & talk with Ezra Caldwell, cancer survivor and owner of Fast Boy Cycles on Saturday, March 27. Fast Boy, a custom frame builder, gained some fame in the bicycle world over past few years with their production of wooden fenders and wooden handlebars, featured in Urban Velo #3.

Several years ago, Ezra was diagnosed with cancer, and his doctors told him he couldn’t ride anymore because of the pressure of sitting on a bike seat. So he built a bike with no seat. In a Bikerumor.com post, he said:

Yeah.. the assless is a pretty fun bike. I built it for myself over the summer after being diagnosed with ass cancer. They told me I couldn’t ride a bike. I asked if it would be ok if the bike had no seat. The doc said, ’so.. what? you’re just going to stand the whole time?’ ’yeah.. that’s right.’ He just shrugged at me and said, ‘yeah.. that’d be fine.’ So I built an assless bike.

You can read Ezra’s writings in his awesome and inspiring blog, Teaching Cancer to Cry.

BRICKS for Young Adults is a Pittsburgh based organization that aims to connect Young Adult cancer patients to people and resources that may be useful to them as they undergo treatment and beyond. They also hope to raise awareness about Young Adult cancers, and impact survival rates through education and activism.

This event is set to coincide with the release of their brand new Cancer Awareness & Resource Guide, the culmination of 6 months of hard work. In addition to providing practical advice, the booklet also features writings by young adults who were affected by cancer, including a contribution by Ezra.

The ride will start at 1pm at REI in the South Side, and will end (around 3pm) at the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community on the South Side. Here Ezra will talk about bikes, his cancer experience, and The Assless, the special bike he built while dealing with cancer.


Event Details:

Saturday, March 27, 2010

1pm: Bike Ride – The ride will be social and low key, good for beginners, with an effort to use the trail system. Meet at REI in the Southside Works

3-5pm: Talk featuring Ezra- Ezra will talk about bikes, his cancer experience, and The Assless, the special bike he built while dealing with cancer. Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community, 2700 Jane Street, South Side

This event is FREE, but donations are always welcome. Attendees will also get a copy of the BRICKS for Young Adults Cancer Awareness & Resource guide, that includes a submission from Ezra.