Ghisallo Cycling Initiative

Ghisallo Cycling Initiative (GCI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 and based in Austin, Texas. The name “Ghisallo” derives from the patron saint of cycling, Madonna del Ghisallo. Our mission is to enable traditionally underserved populations to access their interests by bicycle. Our primary work is enabling youth to develop into self-sufficient and confident riders who have the skills and knowledge to use their bicycles for transportation without depending on adults. With a focus on exploration, navigation, and transportation, we create the opportunity for youth to explore and connect with their communities, to learn to navigate and access the city, and to use their bikes for transportation to the park, the pool, their friend's house, and school. We work predominantly with underserved 3rd-8th grade students and provide semester-long, after-school Bike Clubs, a free Youth Bike Shop and Earn-A-Bike program, Bicycle Skill Challenge programs, and maintenance and safety clinics. From 2013 through 2018, we have served more than 19,000 youth participants via Bike Clubs and Earn-A-Bike programs and another 12,000+ through Bicycle Skills Challenge programs at over 30 sites across Austin. In the Fall of 2018, we began providing programming to even more kids in Central Texas by expanding to San Antonio to provide core bicycle riding, safety, and injury prevention education to youth and their families, as well as to the general public. In the Spring of 2016 we launched our older adult and senior tricycle program, Golden Rollers, after having piloted it the previous fall. During 2017, it expanded from Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center to Dove Springs Rec, Gus Garcia Rec, Alamo Rec, and Givens Rec. The City of Austin Cultural Arts Division funded a short documentary, just under nine minutes in length, which won SXSW's 2017 Faces of Austin Film Festival and is available for viewing online. We also have three Ghisallo Bicycle Base Stations in Austin, in program-focused and high need areas. This includes a location at Community First Austin, a Mobile Loaves and Fishes project serving the newly homed (previously chronically homeless).