Rudy Garcia-Tolson and Robin Williams. Photo: Challenged Athletes Foundation.
Robin Williams may be gone, but he’s still bringing smiles to the faces of others. And, not just on screen.
Williams was an avid cyclist who collected bikes, whether custom made or off the rack.
“He admired his bicycles as design objects and marvels of engineering, liked to discuss gear minutiae with fellow nerds, but most of all he loved to get into his famously colorful spandex outfits and take off for hours at a time. His family and friends fondly remember his apparent joy every time he got on a bike. Robin cherished the meditative aspect of the rides, the alone time, and the opportunity to move around anonymously without having to interact.” (Paddle 8)
Now his children are auctioning off 87 of his personal bikes with proceeds going to the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in order to support athletes who have disabilities, and to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, respectively.
Williams played a major role in getting athletes with disabilities to the start line and through the finish.
“We hope these bikes will bring their new owners as much joy as riding them, and helping these causes, always brought him,” the Williams Family said.
The auction will end on October 25.
Williams competed with Paralympic swimmer Rudy Garcia-Tolson and pro triathlete Scott Tinley for 11 years in triathlon relays. Garcia-Tolson would swim, Williams would bike, and Tinley would run.
Williams once said, “They call Rudy a challenged athlete. Not true. He might be missing both legs, but he’s not a challenged athlete. To me, a challenged athlete is a 300-pound guy trying to squeeze into a pair of bike shorts. THAT’S a challenged athlete!”
Here’s more about the auction from Williams’ fellow cyclist and friend, Conan O’Brien.
