“Already on the way to Valencia to make the first delivery of bicycles in the area affected by DANA.” This is how the message published in recent days by Alberto Contador announcing the arrival of bicycles in the area affected by DANA in Valencia to facilitate the mobility of those affected.
Alberto Contador is one of the best athletes in Spain. With two Tour de France titles, two victories in the Giro d’Italia and three victories in the Vuelta a España, it is a former professional cyclist who appears among the best runners of this century.
Since his retirement from high competition in 2017, this Madrid runner has dedicated himself to victims. The project Škoda Bikes for Life from the Contador Foundation A convoy of three vans went to the DANA ground zero towards the Valencian lands to deliver bicycles, components and various essential materials to those affected by this disaster, as reported by the Contador Foundation on its website. the canvas.
DANA devastated the regions of L’Horta Sud, Hoya de Buñol-Chiva but also Ribera Alta and Ribera Baixa. A storm which, according to the latest official data, caused at least 215 deaths in the area and an unquantifiable amount of material damage.
All the material, with around 80 bikes in frontcomes from donations from people and institutions who wanted to support those affected and in whose logistics the participation of the SEUR Foundation.
“The towns of Picanya and Paiporta were the first two beneficiaries of a contingent of support for cycling which is part of the synergy promoted from Valencia and its metropolitan area by a group of volunteers, shops and institutions that work on the ground since the first days of the disaster”, according to the Contador Foundation.
The athlete’s cooperation was channeled through Do You Bike, Todo Bici Valencia, Vuelta de Tuerca Bike Shop, Esportactiu, Cicloesfera, Cáritas Valencia and the solidarity initiative of the ultra-distance athlete and cancer activist Juan Dual.
“In the area, the needs continue to be diverse and pressing. The priority, in addition to obtaining aid, is to distribute it in the most effective and efficient way possible,” said the Contador Foundation.
“There are three vans with around 80 bikes and others that we already have in Valencia thanks to SEUR. Thank you very much for your donations, these bikes are now life“, published the former cyclist on his social networks before leaving Madrid for Valencia.
Requests
The consequences of DANA are immense, many infrastructures have been destroyed and mobility is still not easy in an environment of devastation, piled up cars, waste, rubble and mud which requires even more time and more resources to be eliminated.
In this context, the bicycle appears to be an exceptional ally in terms of logistics and mobility. The Foundation Cycling School, in collaboration with the Pinto town hall and the Plaza Éboli shopping center They also collaborated in recruiting and channeling aid and resources for this expedition.
Requests for help received by email, direct messages on social networks and in open form amount to almost “two thousand”.
“The laudable reaction of Spanish society allows us to begin to react. The companies involved in this synergy have started to receive donations of bicycles and, regarding Bicis para la Vida, several dozen have arrived at their facilities in recent days,” the Foundation highlighted.
An incredible sum, “especially the physical particularities, given its volume and size, which it would not have been possible to collect without the fundamental and essential support of the Seur Foundation”.
“I didn’t believe it was true, I thought it was all a hoax. We lost everything and I didn’t think there could be people who would donate like that, I didn’t believe it” , said one of the neighbors who told the organizers of this initiative that the bike was successful.
New deliveries
Alberto Contador ordered “a big hug to everyone affected by this DANAto everyone who has lost a loved one, their home… Every person, every story, they are all shocking.”
“You can see a lot of things on TV, but until you’re here you don’t really understand how serious it all was. This is the first part of another to come, we’ll continue to making deliveries for a long time.” , insisted the broker in a press release.
The call is not timely. “Any bike is good“, he repeated. “All these bikes will allow people to go to work, children to go to school and will also allow people to go to other cities to see their loved ones or help with recovery,” he confirmed.
While, Hénar Garciaresponsible for the social area of the Foundation, underlined that “the reason for a project like Bicis para la Vida is none other than to give a second life of use to these bicycles that people no longer use. And in this context We left DANA, this second life takes on a meaning as particular as it is fascinating.
As the days passed, “the enormous need that exists in terms of means of transportation for daily tasks like going to school or going to work became evident,” recognized García.
“A personality like Alberto, with his ability to communicate and the interest with which he is always listened to, has also mobilized many people to help in this way. The support shown by SEUR is impressive, especially considering the aggravating circumstances of all the logistical complications that exist in the area and its impact on its relations with the usual channels with other geographical areas”, concluded Henar García.
