I’d love to say I’d be a cyclist even if I didn’t have a disability.  But anyone who knew me before my diagnosis- hell, anyone who knew me 2 years ago- knows that wouldn’t be the case.

As I often recount in conversations, speeches, probably even a blog post or two, having a disability brought sports into my life.  When I was able-bodied I was terrible at anything physical (even the gym class I took called Lifetime Sports, where we played things like badminton and horseshoes).  It wasn’t until I discovered adaptive sports that I realized I loved the challenge of sports.

Last spring I started handcycling on a bike borrowed from my local adaptive sports center.  I fell in love with cycling, and though handcycling was great, I was inspired by Kyle to get a recumbent trike.  I really wanted to be able to use my legs- since they’re not too helpful for walking, I might as well put them to use on a trike.

In April I received a grant from a very cool organization called the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which helps people with physical disabilities participate in sports.  Check them out if you’re a disabled athlete and you need help funding sports equipment, prosthetics, training, or fees/travel for competition.  Thanks to CAF, I picked up my fabulous Greenspeed GT3 a few weeks ago, and am loving every minute of riding it (well, almost every minute- the climb from Fairmount Park back to my house is a killer, and of course it’s at the very end of my ride).

All by itself:

I couldn’t get the frame in pink, but at least I managed to get pink pedals!  And giving some love to CAF via the sticker they sent me:

Speaking of Kyle, he also got funded by Challenged Athletes for a new trike, and it’s a beauty!  Check out his video here.  Thanks, CAF, for all the miles ahead of us.