Glasgow-based independent bike shop Billy Bilsland Cycles says it has been “humbled” by the response to news that it loaned bikes to two cyclists from Malawi competing in the Commonwealth Games – and has now decided to make a gift of two Genesis Volare 20 road bikes to the riders.
As we reported on Sunday, the Malawi team took two bikes to the shop to be repaired ahead of competing at Glasgow 2014, but staff decided the riders deserved better and lent them top-of-the range road and time trial bikes for the event.
In a post on Facebook yesterday, the business, founded by former pro Bill Bilsland who competed in the 1968 Commonwealth Games, said: “We have been humbled by the amount of interest our small gesture has generated. We have decided to donate the 2 Genesis Volare 20 road bikes to Leonard and Missi.”
It also provided a link to the Scotland Malawi Partnership charity, in case “any of our lovely customers would like to help out as well.”
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.