A MUST READ!

I met Andrew while out on a ride a few weeks ago. He was just finishing up his first century ride. 5 miles to go! With his back covered in sweaty salt and a few cramps coming his way, his face was beaming with excitement and enthusiasm. He turned to me and said this bike, the bike he was riding, was a special bike. This is his story:

Dear Mr. L.,?

Six years ago you gave me a bike that changed my life. I am so glad that Mr.Gates?gave me your contact information so that, through my story with your bike, I can attempt to express proper gratitude.?

My freshman year of High School my entire world revolved around rowing at Strokes. I lived in Richmond where my mom taught High School Chemistry. On her teacher's salary, my mother supported me and my sick father, who at this point was bedridden with a kidney illness which during my junior year he passed from.?Everyday I woke up, made my dad and myself breakfast, biked to BART -- riding my sister's old Schwinn Cruiser, took BART to Berkeley High, went to school, then after school took BART to fruitvale then pedaled furiously to practice. Then, arriving at 4656 Tidewater(strokes boathouse) -- though flustered and late -- I entered a state of total bliss. All day, through the chaos of my home, the stress of the commute, the boredom of school, my mind was here. The place where everyone was equal in the eyes of the erg, and the oar. The place of vicious competition and incredible camaraderie.?

Then, a few months into the season, my ability to even get to the boathouse suddenly hung in the balance.?I remember the Saturday morning so clearly -- there was a gorgeous sunrise, and the row felt electric. Audrey was my coxswain at the time and we were walking out of the boathouse towards the bike racks, chatting about how good it felt to beat the A boat (we were both in the B boat at that point), when I saw my severed lock lay on the ground where my bike was. I was devastated on a fundamental level. Everyday I watched my teammates getting dropped off and picked up by parents in BMWs and Lexuses, and felt a certain pride in the amount of care and energy I put into just getting to the boathouse. I thought it made me edgier, with more to lose, and stronger. They had a comfortable car to climb into after a hard row, but my battle continued until I was in bed. But when that bike was taken, I felt that sense of pride shatter, and self pity enveloped me.?

In front of Audrey, a teammate whose high opinion and respect I greatly desired, I weeped. Instead of feeling like a world mover, I felt like a victim. With compassion, and a little embarrassment for me, Audrey whispered she was gonna call her dad. Moments later she came back and said her dad was gonna find a bike for me. Shocked and a little confused, I accepted a ride to BART. The next day she texted me that she had a bike, and to meet her at Orinda BART. I rode the BART, and found her waiting for me with the beautiful blue bike.?

I knew nothing about bikes, but I knew that this bike was light and it was fast. Instead of waiting for BART after school to get to practice, and being shamefully late everyday, I biked the 9 miles from school, timing myself everyday and trying to get faster. I felt an immense sense of strength in doing an extra 40 minutes of cardio everyday, and a great sense of relief in not holding back our practices everyday. Invigorated, and progressively fitter, my improvement underwent a profound acceleration. I crawled my way into the A boat by our Championship race, with that momentum trained brutally throughout the summer, and made the varsity 8+ for the first race of the season my sophomore year. Over the course of 6 months, I transformed from a earnestly hardworking but somewhat scared 130 pound kid to a confident, extremely fit sophomore who competed to be in the fastest boat in the country and got calls from the Brown Crew coach a few times a month.?

6 years after you gave me that bike, I can say with no reservations that it has drastically altered the trajectory of my life. Using it as my method of transportation through high school, it enabled me to do what I love. From strokes I was recruited to Brown to row, with tuition, text books, and travel fully paid for by the University. The bike came with me to Brown, bringing me from class to class, and down to the boathouse and back. Then when Covid hit, and I was sent home, it was my daily escape from home. I invested in some clipless cleats and would take off every morning, adventuring over the Richmond bridge onto Mount Tam, through West Marin, or over to Tilden and Grizzly Peak. Through the loneliness of isolation, it connected me to the beauty of the bay. Today I ride it most days with my friends, pushing my fitness, riding with friends, and experiencing the incredible joy of pushing my body.?

There is no way you could have known the life-altering way your generosity has impacted me. But you did so anyway, and I am forever grateful. Thank you too for taking the time to read this -- I am so glad I got the opportunity to share my story with you. I want to leave you with a quote?

I found in my freshman year journal from my father when I told him over dinner what Audrey, Mr.?Gates, and you did for me: “Biggest(his nickname for me), hope springs eternal when there are people like that in your corner.”

With gratitude,?

Andrew Simpson