REPORT ON THE CALIFORNIA TIBETAN FREEDOM TORCH BIKE RELAY
SAN FRANCISCO TO LOS ANGELES CHINESE CONSULATE, APRIL 9-15, 2008
“One World, One Dream: Freedom and Justice for Tibet”
Tibetan cyclists carried the Tibetan Freedom Torch from San Francisco to the Los Angeles Chinese Consulate, speaking at three major universities along the way, in a six-day, 500 mile, media blitz bike relay down California Highway One, from April 9-15, 2008. The Bike Relay/Media Event followed the rallies in San Francisco April 8-9 to protest the visit of Beijing’s Olympic Torch. The Tibetan Freedom Torch is a symbol of the hopes and aspirations of the Tibetan people for freedom and justice and is being carried through 50 cities around the world between March 10 and August 8, when it will cross the border into Tibet. The 10 Tibetan Freedom Riders spoke about Tibet at Stanford University before needing police protection at raucous events at UC Santa Barbara and UC Los Angeles. The final day included a march and demonstration at the L.A. Chinese Consulate April 15th. The goals of the Tibet Freedom Torch Bike Relay were to keep media attention focused on Tibet, to educate and gain public support and to maintain rider safety.
Riders included Jigme Norbu (Son of Taktser Rinpoche, eldest brother of His Holiness the Dalai Lama), Gendin Gyatso (escaped from Tibet in 1990’s), Rinpo (organizer of many Tibet bike rides and marches), Dan Abellera (mechanic extraordinaire and biker), Tempa, Tashi, Karma, Lotu (74 year old monk tortured during 5 years in Chinese prisons in the 1970’s), with Namgyal Rabten and Kevin Young in support. Many of these riders drove their bikes from Minnesota to San Francisco, spent 10 days riding around SF distributing over 25,000 flyers, then rode and drove to Los Angeles during the Tibetan Freedom Torch Bike Relay SF to LA 500 miles, then drove back to Minnesota! They took over a month off from families and their work because of their dedication to the cause of Tibet.
The California Tibetan Freedom Torch Bike Relay was coordinated by Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet, www.sbtibet.org, and Tibetan Association of Southern California, Namgyal Kyulo, namgyalkyulo@yahoo.com. The following trip report was written by Kevin only and other riders may have different perceptions; please submit your reviews to this site as well. I would like to thank Larry Gerstein of International Tibet Independence Movement and Dorothy Berger of International Tibet Support Network for their experience and encouragement. It was incredible how eleven diverse personalities were able to work together when united by the common goal of helping Tibet, even when faced with demanding schedules and other hardships. May our trip help increase dialogue and discussion, and end human rights abuses in Tibet and lead toward autonomy for that peaceful nation and people.Read the trip report by Kevin Young.