r.i.p. Rachel

photo: Mark Emery

This is Rachel Dow's Bianchi, the night she built it. A month or so ago, she brought this old blue Bianchi bicycle in to the shop explaining that she "wanted to build a fixed gear," for the winter. She made it perfectly clear that she wanted me to show her how to build it, rather than me building it for her. We agreed to meet the following Wednesday.

The handlebars were covered in rust, the cranks thrashed, tires were flat. Parts were needed. I took the liberty of stripping the crusty parts from the frame and hung it in the rack. Later, when Rachel found out, she was disappointed, maybe even a little pissed. That Wednesday night Mark & I were there to assist her, Rachel asked pertinent questions, and turned all the wrenches herself. She wanted to build that bike from start to finish, with her own hands, using her own knowledge. And she did. We stood and watched as Rachel took her first ride out of the alley on the new bike. She smiled and laughed and we understood.

There was a perpetual gleam in Rachel's eye that was sometimes mischievous, but always inquisitive. She was intelligent, independent, and determined. She was a gentle soul with a knack for learning. I am happy to have known her, proud to be amongst the so many people whose lives she touched.

r.i.p. Rachel.