velospace blog

velospace is extraordinarily proud of its members, and whenever one of us goes down we all feel your pain.

One of the first velospace users, Shiznaz, a/k/a/ Charlie Prinsep was killed by a drunk driver in August of 2007 while riding his bike in Canada. Some of Charlie’s friends and family have worked hard over the past two years to set up a not-for-profit group to spread Charlie’s love of bicycles: the Charles Prinsep Initiative.

In Charlie’s memory the group has launched a program to help youth from the Regent Park area of Toronto earn bicycles by participating in a build-a-bike summer workshop program. The program is called Charlie’s Freewheels. The pilot program has gone very well and the group is looking for volunteers and donations to help it grow.

velospace proudly sponsors the Charles Prinsep Initiative along with their pilot program Charlie’s Freewheels. Please consider donating if you have the means - this is a great cause in the name of one of the founding members of the velospace community.

From the CPI website:

In life, Charles held a steadfast belief that an individual’s actions could make a difference. He cared about the environment, and continually sought to find ways to reduce his own environmental impact. Charles was also passionate about cities, constantly envisioning simple and practical ways in which the urban culture he so appreciated could become more environmentally responsible. Charles was also a deeply creative person; for him, art was everywhere and in everything. Cycling was a medium that connected so many of his interests; bicycles offered him an environmentally sustainable transportation alternative through which he could explore the urban environment, and were also works of art in themselves. We invite you to get to know Charlie. Visit his blog: The Double Cross.

- Greg