Ciclópolis in the Caravan

The Neverwood Collective is pleased to invite two members of Ciclópolis in Quito, Ecuador to the GrassRoutes Caravan.

The Foundation Ciclópolis was created in the year 2007 with the objective of contributing to and, through the implementation of practical projects, generating a bicycling culture in urban Ecuador. Please visit their site en Español at www.Ciclópolis.ec. If you don't read Spanish, however, here's a description of what Ciclópolis is all about, written by Caravan rider and Ciclópolis intern Nick (May 2008):

Well, Ciclópolis formed a year ago or so. they are an offshoot from the original group, called biciacción. that org has been around for five years. when ciclópolis formed as an independet organization, the ciclopaseo project came with. this is the primary project, and pretty much the public face, of ciclópolis. ciclopaseo is an event that happens every other sunday in quito where 25km of city streets are closed to all vehicles and thousands of people come out to ride their bikes, skate, or just walk with the security and tranquility of a transformed, carless quito. it has the full support of the city government (a long way from it's beginnings as an unofficial, critical mass type ride 6 or 7 years ago), and this project is also where ciclópolis receives the vast majority of its funds, in order to pay for all of the infrastructure and support necesary to pull it off successfully every other week.

another important project right now is the ciclo-q, permanent bike paths in quito. this is a project of the group vida para quito, but ciclópolis plays a role in supporting and advocating the contruction. in fact, it's been an ongoing evolution starting with the ciclopaseo project that has culminated (after five years, officially) in an increasing awareness of the growth of bicycle culture in the city. because it has come to be such a popular, and widely participated-in event, the ciclopaseo is the driving force that has proven to the municipality not only the desire of the citizens to increase bicycle use, but the positive transformations that comes with it. because that, to me, is the really interesting thing about this organization, it's the use of the bicycle as a tool to recapture public spaces which has all kinds of positive effects: increased security, community interaction, sustainable development, decreased traffic and pollution. it's not just about making the roads safer for bicycle commuters, although the interesting thing is that i believe when the original biciacción began years ago, that was the primary focus. the thing is, it just keeps growing. the unintended effects on the urban landscape as the ciclopaseo has developed over the years has led to more widespread changes that are coming into bloom now. in just a week or two will be the official opening of the bike paths here, a very important step in a city that's still learning to accept the bicycle as a means of transportation. soon after that they hope to hold the ciclopaseo every sunday.

also, ciclópolis organizes various bicycle competitions throughout the year, mostly downhill urban races where the crazies that are used to jumping bikes off mountains do the same only in the urban setting of different quito neighborhoods. the biggest yearly competition is called la clasica de cantuña.

rutas y ritos is a project that organizes one to three day bicycle trips to various parts of the country. this happen roughly every month or so. ciclópolis sets up the transportation and other logistics, and can rent bikes for anyone who wants to sign up. it's a good way to see beautiful parts of the country through bicycle-based tourism.

the newest project here is called todas en bici. this is a feminist group working together with ciclópolis that advocates the bicycle as a means for women in the city to have increased mobility, freedom, and power. they have been organizing group rides, and are now working on a project of bicycle riding lessons (because many people here have never ridden a bicycle) and basic maintenance classes. this project has begun only since i've been here and it's pretty cool to see it take off.

Ciclópolis recently contacted the Neverwood Collective with interest in traveling with us by bicycle from Madison, Wisconsin to Saint Paul, Minnesota to give educational presentations throughout the Midwest. We are very excited to have an international presence on our ride, although costs obviously come into play when dealing with travel and other necessities. We need your help, financially, more than ever. We've been operating bare-bones already, donating our spare time and personal investsment to see this ride take off. To add this uniqe opportunity, we'll need your help. Any philanthropic sources and fundraising plans to get Ciclópolis members Gaby and Andrés on the ride woud be very helpful!