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Greg Oliver

Angela Garrett, who moved to Seneca a year-and-a-half ago, is the winner of this year’s bike giveaway sponsored by Clemson Area Transit and Clemson Cyclery. Standing with Garrett and her grandson, with the mountain bike displayed on the bicycle rack, are Clemson Area Transit Bus Supervisor Keith Moody, left, and Clemson Cyclery Manager Derrick O’Shields.

CLEMSON — Angela Garrett, of Seneca, said she moved to Seneca a year-and-a-half ago and was seeking a mode of transportation.

Now, she has it after being selected as this year’s winner of the annual bicycle giveaway co-sponsored by Clemson Area Transit (CAT) and Clemson Cyclery. Garrett received a mountain bike presented by Keith Moody, bus supervisor for CAT, and Derrick O’Shields, manager of Clemson Cyclery.

“I don’t have a car and this helps,” Garrett said, adding that her son, Steven, the father of a four-month-old son named Josh, will also be riding the bike.

Moody said the annual bike contest, which began more than five years ago, had 3,060 entries this year.

“We feel that cyclery and mass transit go hand in hand — especially when it comes to saving the environment,” Moody said. “When someone gets on a bike or uses mass transit, they save 20 pounds of carbon per day. So, traveling mass transit or bicycling is a healthy choice for one’s self as well as the environment.”

O’Shields said that while cycling is an excellent form of exercise, it also provides a mode of transportation for many individuals.

“Hopefully, this bike will provide them (Garrett and family) with greater mobility as well as enjoyment and entertainment,” O’Shields said.

Garrett, who moved to Seneca from South Hill, Va., said her grandson already enjoys riding the CAT bus and believes he will enjoy riding the bicycle once he reaches the proper age. She admitted to being surprised when CAT officials notified her that she had won this year’s contest.

“I couldn’t figure out why they were calling me,” Garrett said.

Moody said 1,070 bicycles used CAT’s “Bike and Ride” program in one month, the highest total for the fiscal year. Meanwhile, the lowest monthly total for the fiscal year that runs from July 1 through June 30 still had 323 participants.

Since the initiation of the bike giveaway contest, Clemson University students and, last year, a homeless man, have been selected as recipients.