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SALT LAKE CITY -- Have you ever taken a ride in a pedicab? We don't have too many in Utah, but there's one you may have seen in downtown Salt Lake City recently. One of the drivers says his pedaling comes second to his preaching.
On any given Saturday, you can find Christian Kocherscheidt pedaling free rides in his pedicab. With a hand to help you inside and a foot push to get going, he'll take you right to your car. The conversation comes standard.
"It's always different people," Kocherscheidt says. "It's always different conversations."
Each ride, like each passenger, is unique; but there's one topic that always seems to come up. Kocherscheidt's "K2" jersey gives his customers a little clue.
"I'm a pastor here in town: K2 the Church," Kocherscheidt says. "I always knew there was a God, always trusted that He was good and that he had a purpose for me."
Kocherscheidt is a Christian, and the bicycle taxi is just a side gig. Preaching, not pedaling, is his full-time job.
"[There's] a lot of surprise," Kocherscheidt says. "The first word is: ‘Really?'"
He speaks to a packed congregation at K2 the Church on Sundays then pulls people behind his bike a few times a month.
Kocherscheidt says he doesn't bike taxi to build his flock, but if the ride turns to religion, he always keeps a business card or two in his jersey.
"There was one week where eight people actually showed up here and actually made the effort to let me know that they were here," Kocherscheidt says. "I had given a ride to [them] a couple of nights earlier."
While the venue might be different, Kocherscheidt's motivation doesn't change. People, he says, keep him preaching and pedaling in Salt Lake City.
"I love having the position to speak into people's lives, to hopefully be of help and of encouragement and just walk through life with people," he says.
Kocherscheidt says cycling has also helped him stay in shape. He's lost nearly 50 pounds since he started riding this year.
E-mail: jstagg@ksl.com
