Why this youth cycling team’s pit stop in RVA “feels good”

RICHMOND, Va. — The Bellmeade Community Bike Shop off Krouse Street opened its doors Sunday, serving as the new “home base” for a team of young cyclists from Brunswick, Georgia.

The BRAG Dream Team, which stands for Bicycle Riding Across Georgia, is making history as the organization’s first group to ride 2,300 miles from Miami to Maine along the East Coast Greenway.

BRAG is a non-profit organization dedicated to getting young people active outdoors.

WTVR

“My mom and dad text me all the time trying to find out where we are and I’m like, ‘I really don’t know.’ I just ride my bike,” said Kaitlyn Bradshaw, a 16-year-old who has been biking with the group for about six years. “If you’re not afraid of port-a-potties on the side of the road, then you can do it.”

The team cycled across River City on Sunday, from Bellmeade to Brown’s Island, to Capitol Square and back, in partnership with GroundWork RVA.

WTVR

GroundWork RVA is a nonprofit environmental organization that fosters the next generation of urban environmentalists and oversees the Bellmeade Community Bike Shop.

“It’s been a really rewarding experience to be around so many older riders who look like me and have been in the sport with the kids for so long,” said Alexa Santisteban. “Our program is pretty new, but I’d love to get to a point where we’ve had the impact they’ve had and be able to grow for 30 years like they have and continue to grow beyond that as well.”

WTVR

For 16-year-old Layla Davis, the stop in Richmond is special.

“It feels good,” Davis said. “It’s one of the places I grew up because my mom and dad split up, so I was going back and forth between houses.”

Davis is not only excited to be back in Richmond. The group plans to head to Alexandria next.

“We go over there, and my grandmother lives over there, so I get to see my grandmother,” Davis said.

For Davis, it’s not just about seeing her family again. In her first year of cycling with the group, she learned how to ride continuously while managing her diabetes.

“Nothing can stop you from doing what you want to do. Because I’m a Type 1 diabetic and it doesn’t stop me,” Davis said. “It’s just a label.”

Do you know of any good news happening in your community? Click here to email WTVR.com and the CBS 6 News team.