Peter Dunne used to think almost everyone had a bike gathering dust in the garage.

Cycle after cycle was dropped off after the Bermuda Bicycling Association launched an appeal for their school programme seven years ago.

When the dust settled they had far more than they needed.

“Some of them were 20 or 30 years old,” he said. “Some of them didn’t suit our programme, which is for middle and secondary school students.”

A visit to Grenada opened his eyes to another reality.

People there were bewildered when he suggested they donate old bikes to support community cycling programmes.

“I was met with blank looks,” he said. “They said, ‘What spare cycles?’ I realised not everyone has the luxuries that Bermuda has.”

He hatched a plan to donate the BBA’s surplus to Grenada, but it fell through.

“It turns out it’s a lot harder to ship things out of Bermuda, than to ship them in,” said Mr Dunne.

And then he met members of Haiti’s amateur cycling federation at a race last year.

“Two members showed up on the oldest bikes I’ve ever seen in competition,” he said. “It was immediately clear they were lacking the equipment to begin a cycling development programme and that the BBA’s surplus could help.”

It was an obvious opportunity. Mr Dunne contacted Bermudian Phillip Rego of the Feed My Lambs orphanage in Haiti for help.

The BBA will next month send 30 racing bikes to Haiti in support of Federation Haitienne De Cyclisme Amateur and Feed My Lambs. The cycles will be transported on a shipping container filled with items earmarked for Mr Rego’s charity.

“Cycling is an expensive sport,” Mr Dunne said. “If we can direct this number of bikes to another federation who knows what might come of it.

“Locally, some of our top riders have come through school programmes all on borrowed bikes. If we can eliminate that barrier of entry and the cost of equipment it might help bring someone new into the sport or gives them a different perspective on things.”

The BBA has already started packing the bikes.

“Some will go to Feed My Lambs’ school group and the majority will go to Haiti’s amateur cycling federation.”

The BBA is asking members and friends to help them with the shipping costs, which are about $3,500.

“This is not an insignificant amount but we are confident that collectively we can achieve this goal,” Mr Dunne said. “Cycling has done a lot of great things for people — rich and poor. They might want to share that passion with the world.”

Donations can be made to a Butterfield Bank account 20-006-060-303319-100. Put Haiti bikes in the memo line.

•For further information e-mail president@bermudabicy cle.org or call 704-8614.