Εκκλησία φτιαγμένη από ποδήλατα, ο Άη Bike ο ποδηλάτρης!

Check out this shrine to cyclery. People are calling it the Bike Church, and it'll be unveiled at a ceremony from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 15.

These pictures were taken during the construction phase of the project. The completed structure will be 24-feet-tall and painted pure white. Its design mirrors classical religous architecture, but uses only bike parts and a few structural steel supports as materials

The project was funded by a $50,000 grant from the Pima Association of Governments and created by local teenagers with the help of Joe O'Connell of Creative Machines Inc., who also created the huge, red griffin at the Scott Avenue streetscape.

The location, at the corner of Main Avenue and Davis Street in Barrio Anita, was chosen so the structure will serve as a gateway to the El Paso Greenway, a bike path enthusiasts hope will eventually link Barrio Anita to other parts of town. The path would also make it possible to bike commute without having to make the trip beneath the underpasses, which any cyclist will tell you is a near-death experience.

Nighttime visitors will find solar lights beaming through colored, acrylic panels. Wind chimes, also made out of bike parts, will hang from the internal beams; a nearby shrine will honor fallen cyclists.

The unveiling ceremony will feature a bike tour of nearby public art and an opportunity to make magnetic mementos to leave inside the structure. Call Kerry Adams, a Barrio Anita resident who helped coordinate the project, at 882-3044 for more information.