RAR New Haven started on a bikepacking trip. Kai Addae brought together a group of FTWN-B people (including Jesse and Ali), the bikes, the gear, and in three days and two nights, we formed friendships that felt much longer.
Over the long COVID winter, Kai held a Build-A-Bike class where we met more FTWN-B bikers and built confidence around wrenching bikes. We didn’t want it to end, and Jesse suggested we start WTF nights at the Bradley Street Bike Co-op. In Spring 2021, WTF nights started rolling with a handlebar bag-making class, a somatic healing lecture, and an intro to bikepacking workshop.
As a RAR Chapter, we already have our next adventures planned: bringing more folx bikepacking, holding more bike fixing workshops, and getting people riding bikes more, all while forming more bonds between people, their bikes, and the natural world around them.
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CORE GROUP
Kai
Kai (they/them) is originally from the Pacific Northwest but is proud to have made New Haven their home. They got involved in the local biking community through New Haven Bike Party and volunteering at the Bradley Street Bicycle Co-op. Since then, they’ve grown into an avid ride coordinator, bike mechanic-teacher, route planner, and cheerleader for any and all types of biking in New Haven. They currently are a member of the Wild Composite Racing team, and get joy from helping others like them– femmes, BIPOC folks, and those struggling with anxiety and depression, to explore and find connection through the magic of riding and fixing bikes with friends.
Nels
Nels (they/them) was born and raised in Connecticut and moved to New Haven in 2015. They learned to ride a bike in 2018 at the Bradley Street Bicycle Co-op (and then had to ride across town back home). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nels started riding their bike further and further from home, watching the landscape shift as the miles passed by. Since then, they’ve developed their bike mechanic skills, ecological knowledge, and sense of direction. They believe in bikes as a way to build community, resiliency, confidence, and autonomy through learning with neighbors near and far. They seek to help others get to know the place they call home and the plants, animals, and people they share it with. They also like to go fast down hills.
Ali
Ali (they/them) is here for the friends first, and the bikes second. That said, they love the empowerment of transporting and socializing on two wheels. Since 2020, RAR NHV has been their home for mixing joy of the queer, bike, and nature varieties. As a founding member of the RAR NHV Chapter, Ali is proudly a mediocre bike mechanic and doesn’t really like riding alone. This community has meant they’ve seldom found themselves riding or wrenching without kind, generous, crafty, and intelligent people alongside them. When on legs, they work as a writer, jump into dumpsters, and love on the community at the Bradley Street Bike Co-op. On rides, you can find Ali at the back, cheering the people in front of them up the hill.
Maria
Maria (she/hers) bought her first adult bicycle to commute for five minutes to the gym in 2017. Quickly afterwards, she discovered the joy of commuting to work, which slowly worked up to her first 40-mile day and then suddenly became 800 miles of bike touring down the west coast. Maria loves biking because of the way it introduces her to people from all walks of life, gives her quality time with friends, and creates a great excuse to eat delicious foods all across the country.
Becky
Becky (she/her) found biking when a RAR group was training for a century and thought: “wow that sounds crazy but I really like bike rides with these cool, friendly people!” So she kept showing up to the rides—including the 100-mile one— and the rest is history. Becky also loves that biking makes her feel strong and allows her to notice and appreciate the changing seasons in her home state (and discover all the local doughnut places). When she’s not biking or organizing RAR activities, Becky’s working as a freelance marketer, volunteering in Edgewood Park, experimenting in her kitchen or hanging with her scruffy adventure dog, Penny.
Amanda
Amanda (she/her) is a West Coast native who envisions a future of transportation equity, where safe and accessible mobility extends beyond motor vehicles. Her heart lies in the world of bikes, as they empower her to make a positive impact. Whether she’s working on bikes, educating others about them, or cultivating a warm and inclusive space for cyclists of all levels, Amanda is driven by her mission to enhance the biking experience for everyone. Her ultimate goal is to create abundant opportunities for BIPOC and FTWNB individuals, like herself, to embrace the sheer confidence, joy, excitement, love, and personal growth that come with biking alongside friends. Amanda believes that cycling can be a transformative force, and she aspires to spread this feeling to as many people as possible.
RAR Chapters will advocate, support, and uplift BIPOC and FTWN-B cyclists in their local communities! Find a RAR Chapter in your area and learn more about each group.
Latest Chapter News
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RAR Northeast Autumn Retreat
Have you heard? RAR Northeast Chapters are collaborating to create an autumn retreat in Topsham, VT, from Sept 13 to 16, 2024! WHAT IS RAR NAR? The first-ever Radical Adventure Riders Northeast Autumn Retreat is a long weekend full of workshops, group rides, shared meals, bonfire stories, community building, bike skills, and joy! The theme for the……
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New RAR Chapters!
Give a warm welcome to the eleven new RAR Chapters! We had over twenty applications from BIPOC and FTWN-B organizers nationwide and beyond. We mainly sought groups in different regions who had a solid core group to build out their community efforts. THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to apply. Twenty-one RAR Chapters will advocate, support, and uplift BIPOC and……
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RAR Raffle for Chapters Fundraiser
Donate to win prizes and help us raise $40k to grow RAR Chapters to 20 locations! Donate to the RAR Chapters Fundraiser to win sweet prizes from Salsa, Revelate Designs, Velocity Wheels, Teravail, Bags x Bird, and Simworks. A total of five prizes will be given away: To enter, please donate $25 to the RAR……