Chris van Dine
ALL ABOUT HEART
Mountain bike downhill freerider Chris Van Dine has found his passion in helping kids in Latin America learn how to ride a bike, and keep bikes close to their souls.
El Salvador, Central America´s smallest country, lies by the warm Pacific Ocean coast squeezed between Guatemala and Nicaragua. Small in size, it sits at the top of many negative lists, with one of the highest homicide rates in the world, over a third of its population living below the poverty line, and with many of the country’s youth turning to gangs to survive. Right here, in a small town called El Tunco, legendary downhill mountain biker Chris Van Dine has thrown his skills, energy, passion and heart into a bike project together with the local orphanage Remar. Chris Van Dine has a long and successful global career in downhill mountain bike freeriding. But despite being a world class athlete he’s never been much for competitions. He’s more of a soul rider, who lets his heart guide him and he's foremost a passionate ambassador for living life with a bike. He dedicates a large part of his time to inspiring children living under less fortunate circumstances to choose biking over petty crime and violence.
El Tunco project
If you want to shape minds, shape spaces where those minds can dwell.
The El Tunco project has been enlightening for Chris, especially when the kids became so positive and engaged when he proposed building a public pump track close to the orphanage. But the job didn't stop with building the track. Finding a sustainable way to get more bikes out there and helping to build up a bike mechanic school were just as important. The more bikes there are in a country, the more bike mechanics they need. Chris has always had a huge heart for grassroots efforts that focus on sustainability and social engagement, and the El Tunco project has shown how using local passion to drive these efforts can really engage and help people. With the support of Thule and the award winning production company (and fellow Thule Crew members) Sherpas Cinema, Chris‘s El Tunco project was captured in a beautiful short film, called Bikes of El Salvador.
Bikes of El Salvador
Chris’s favorite moments in life are the vicarious ones. Standing on podiums and stages is wonderful, but the sheer amazement and joy that sweeps over the face of a child riding on two wheels for the first time is something else.