Bicycles with a second life to help those affected by the DANA of Picanya and Paiporta

The Bicis para la Vida by Škoda project of the Contador Foundation moved this Tuesday a convoy of three vans to Valencian lands to deliver bicycles, components and various material of first necessity among those affected by the DANA that devastated a fortnight ago with special virulence the regions of l’Horta Sud, Hoya de Buñol-Chiva and also the Ribera Alta and Ribera Baja. According to the latest official figures, as of Tuesday 12 November 2024, a storm has left 214 dead in the area, 23 people unaccounted for and an unquantifiable amount of material damage.

The towns of Picanya and Paiporta were the first two recipients of a support contingent of a cycling nature that is part of the synergy promoted from Valencia and its metropolitan area by a group of volunteers, shops and institutions that have been working on the ground since the first days of the catastrophe. This cooperation is channelled 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 are still diverse and pressing. The priority, in addition to getting aid, is to distribute it as effectively and efficiently as possible.

The devastation has been immense, many infrastructures have been destroyed and mobility is still not easy in an environment of devastation, rubble, piled-up cars, waste, debris and mud that still requires more time and resources to be substantially removed. In this context, bicycles emerge as exceptional allies for logistics and mobility. True to its founding commitment to supporting disadvantaged groups and those at risk of social exclusion, Bikes for Life by Škoda has begun to channel its capacity to come to the aid of the many, many of those affected who have lost everything and are faced with the challenge of rebuilding their lives and regaining some sense of normality. The Foundation’s Cycling School, in collaboration with the Pinto Town Council and the Plaza Éboli Shopping Centre have also collaborated in the collection and channelling of aid and resources in this shipment.

The requests for help received through e-mails, direct messages on social networks and the form opened for this purpose are close to two thousand, but the commendable reaction of Spanish society is allowing us to begin to respond. The firms involved in this synergy have begun to receive donations of bicycles and, as far as Bicis para la Vida is concerned, several dozen have arrived at their facilities in recent days.An incredible amount, especially the physical particularities, given their volume and size, which would not have been possible to collect without the fundamental and key support of the Seur Foundation.The call appealed to any bike, in any condition: a team of volunteers from the AMP Association, the Good Samaritan Foundation and Aurum Bikes have been finalising the mechanical tuning of the material until a few hours before the departure of this first expedition, in which the company Boxlogi has also intervened with the free loan of one of its vehicles.

It will not be the last. There are many needs and the testimonies of the protagonists are heartbreaking. One of the girls collecting a bicycle commented, moved: ‘I didn’t believe it was true, I thought it was all a hoax.We have lost everything and I didn’t believe that there could be people who would donate something like this, I didn’t believe it’. Citizens who did not have the means to return to work, also children… Many stories.

Alberto Contador: ‘First of all, I want to send a big hug to all those affected by this hurricane, to all those who have lost a loved one, their homes… Every person, every story, all of them are shocking. You can see a lot of things on television, but until you are here you don’t really get a true picture of how serious everything has been.
This is the first instalment of others to come, we will continue to make instalments for a long time to come.
The appeal is not a one-off.Any bicycle is good. Individuals. Institutions with urban fleets that are reaching the end of their useful life due to replacement… If you have an unused bike and you don’t know what to do with it, through Bicis para la Vida and other institutions we are going to deliver it to Valencia. All these bicycles will allow people to go to work, children to go to school and also people to travel to other towns to see their relatives or help them in their recovery. From the Foundation, with the support of Škoda and the Seur Foundation through Bicis para la Vida, we will continue to do our bit to help’.

Henar García, head of the social area of the Foundation: ‘The raison d’être of a project like Bicis para la Vida is none other than to give a second life to those bikes that people no longer use. And in the context that the DANA has unfortunately left us, this second life takes on a special and urgent significance. As the days have gone by, it has become clear that there is an enormous need for means of locomotion for everyday tasks such as going to school or going to work. A figure like Alberto, with his ability to communicate and the interest with which he is always listened to, has mobilised many people to help in this way. The support shown by SEUR has been impressive, especially given all the logistical complications that exist in the area and their effect on their relationship with the usual channels with other geographical areas.From the Contador Foundation we can only thank them and highlight the recognition they deserve’.