Vélo Quebec gives underprivileged youth new bikes

Twenty youths from the neighbourhoods of Côte-des-Neiges and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve received brand-new bikes and helmets on Sunday.

The initiative was created by Vélo Quebec, a bike-promoting organization in Montreal, with the intention of getting the kids — aged seven to 14 — ready for the Tour de l'Ile on May 31.

Vélo Quebec is providing the new-bike recipients with a volunteer who will teach them the rules of the road and how to ride a bike in the city.

Eleven-year-old Shamar Campbell's new bike is black with a red stripe and large, sturdy tires.

He said he can't wait to learn to ride it so he can bike to the park.

His mother Hannisha Campbell immigrated from Barbados, where biking was a huge part of her upbringing.

"I'm happy about teaching him how to ride. I was doing it from the time I was four or five," she said.

Vélo Quebec's annual bike giveaway has been sponsored by the Quebec dairy farmers' association for the past seven years. The Dr. Julien Foundation selects the lucky bike recipients.

Joëlle Sévigny of Vélo Quebec said biking is an important part of childhood.

"We all remember our first bike and how important it was, because it was the first means of transportation. And transportation is liberty," she said.