"It's freeing": Colorado adaptive cyclists love the freedom of Pedal 4 Possible
Denver is home to a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital. Craig Hospital specializes in research and treatment of patients with brain and/or spinal cord injuries. Every year, the Craig Foundation hosts a fundraiser to help pay for rehabilitative costs that are not covered by insurance, for example, adaptive bikes and recreational therapy. Pedal 4 Possible is a cycling event for adaptive and non-adaptive riders. They take over High Plains Raceway, which is a fun, challenging road racing course. And, the riders love it.
"I get in that bicycle, not only do you have the breeze on your face, you have the sounds of the gear shifting, the giggling of your child having an experience along side you, the force of your breath as you're exerting energy," said Ashley Bristol, Pedal 4 Possible rider.
Bristol is hosting a Pedal 4 Possible team for the first time this year. Her team is called Wheelin' It, and it's made up of friends, family and former Criag patients from her hometown of Fort Morgan.
"It's five years since my accident, and I wanted to be able to honor that, and I wanted to support Craig," Bristol explained.
She was in a side-by-side ATV accident in September of 2019. The accident happened while the family was on a camping trip in Wyoming. Bristol made angels in the sand with her son moments before her whole life changed.
"My T5 and T6 vertebrae no longer exist, so that left me paralyzed from the T4 down," Bristol said. "It was a hard pill to swallow… it was a big transition."
In the last five years, Bristol has learned to navigate the world in a new way. Craig Hospital not only helped her heal after the accident, but it's helped her set new goals in her life.
"My personal goals to begin with were to remind myself and tell myself that I'm still enough. I'm still a mother. I'm still a wife. I still can come home and do family things and get back to life and make it as normal as possible," she told CBS News Colorado.
She achieved those goals and so much more. Since her accident she's learned to navigate travel, she graduated college with a sociology degree, and she's learned to bike again. Now she's setting new goals for her rural hometown.
"I want to bring awareness around inclusion and disability and how important every life is – no matter what life it is," she said. "If more people would strive for accessibility a lot more change we would see."
Bristol said that there is no limit to her adventures as long as she has Craig Hospital at her back.
"They're always there to meet you at whatever that challenge or goal is and help you set the next one," she said.
She's back to hiking, camping, fly fishing and most of the activities her family loves to do.
"No, the adventure does not stop. I just keep going."
LINK: Register for Pedal 4 Possible
Anyone and everyone is invited to ride Pedal 4 Possible on Saturday, October 26, 2024. The ride starts at 11:00 and ends at 2:00. There are fully stocked "pit stops" along the course. Riders must register to take part.
