Although it was organized at the last minute, a Dec. 21 bike drive organized by the members of Orono's Road Kill Cycling Club put more than 140 used bikes in the hands of deserving families and children.

"We collected close to 200 bikes - people are still bringing them in ... tell them to stop," club member Terry Esau joked in an e-mail. "We refurbished close to 140, all going to deserving families and kids. Overall a wonderful success."

The club partnered with Otten Bros. and Gear West to accept donated bikes the week leading up to Dec. 21. Otten Bros. offered space at its facilities to hold the bikes and Gear West and members of the cycling club offered the time to make minor repairs to the bikes.

The idea for the drive came about when a friend of Esau's contacted him about finding a used bike for another of her friends to use for commuting to and from work. Esau e-mailed his cycling club mates and quickly found a number of suitable bikes for the man. From that, a bike drive arose.

"We got to thinking about kids that are without bikes and what getting one could mean to them," he said prior to the event. "So we decided to set it up at the last minute for this year because we don't want to wait until next Christmas."

In the end it wasn't just the children having all of the fun, however.

Esau shared the story of a woman who had contacted him about getting a bike for her granddaughter, Amy.

"When we started looking for bikes, I asked Amy what her favorite color was," Esau said. "She said, 'definitely purple, but I also love green.' We found a brand new bike in our lot that was purple and green. She loved it."

After Amy was squared away, Esau suggested that maybe they should find Grandma a bike as well, so the two could enjoy bike rides together. While she said she hadn't ridden a bike in years, Esau said the woman thought it would be a good idea and they found her a "retro bike," complete with a basket, which she suggested to her granddaughter could be used by the two of them to go on a picnic.

"We loaded their bikes into their car. I wished them a Merry Christmas and closed the door," Esau said. "Immediately I heard Amy scream, 'Yeeeaaah!' ... That's just one of many fun stories to come out of our weekend event."

In the days leading up to the event, Esau said he wasn't sure if the bike drive would bring in 50 or 150 bikes, or if this would become an annual event for club or if the wheels would stop turning after this year. Esau hinted strongly that this might become an annual thing.

"Next year ... 500 bikes."