Remember yours?
Mine was an ugly green Big Wheels with a hole in the middle. I loved it. I remember FLYING down the driveway and going straight into the grass every time. There was a feeling of freedom, thrill, and complete excitement.
- It looked like this, but mine was ugly, green, and smokin’ fast!
At The Sport Factory, we are trying to share the love of riding bikes with kids who have physical disabilities which prevent them from riding mainstream bicycles.
Last year, a group of Sport Factory coaches and athletes, lead by Coach Matt Russ, Jen, and Curtis Henry, decided to start a little project called My First Bike. Over the summer, we have donated, collected donations, and put on clinics and races to raise money to buy the first bike. And last weekend at The Sport Factory Team Party, we saw our first recipient, Tim, talk about the joy he feels when riding his adaptive bike. Everyone in the room was touched by his courage and wisdom as he not only faces his challenges, but overcomes them and inspires others in the process. Here we thought we were helping Tim by giving him a bike; HE totally inspired US with his incredible strength, humor, and optimism as he shared a bit of his history and his attitude on life. Funny how that works.
Tim getting comfy in the saddle at our Open Water Swim Clinic fundraiser over the summer.
Tim is not in any hurry to get off the bike!
Curtis, Jen, Tim, Sarah, and Matt
We are not stopping with Tim– this is too much fun. We need your help, though.
If you think your organization could be a part of a BUILD A BIKE CAMPAIGN, we’d love to talk to you! Do you have any other fund raising ideas or ways to contribute? We are in the process of selecting our next recipient, and we’d love your help in getting this kid on two wheels!
www.myfirstbike.org
But our love affair was doomed. When a woman walks away from a relationship bloodied, bruised, and with a head injury, it’s just time to walk away. You know what they say about abusers: they will do it again.
I love DESTINATION posts; they are my favorite. There’s something about packing up and discovering new places that I find incredibly exciting, renewing, and always a very in-your-face time to learn about yourself. When you leave the comforts of home, you invariably get an up-close view of who you are. Like it or not.
Pensacola Beach seemed like a better option. And a 600yard swim, 18mi bike, and 5k run seemed juuuuussssssstttttt right. I’ve only done one other sprint before (in 2007), and I remember it “hurting like my head was being peeled by a cheese grater,” as my coach eloquently advised it should feel like. Whatever. A 70.3 hurts pretty damn bad, too, so at least a sprint race is over quickly.
We had a nice ATL contingency of some fast boys at the start line: J.Sipos, K.Brown, K.Patton, among others. Having swam recently with Jeremy and Ken, I was basking in my perceived new-found aquatic speed, and all too happy to talk big smack to those guys before the race.
That’s because I was still chugging along, god only knows how far back. Humble Pie tastes delish, let me tell you. My swim time wasn’t recorded, which is probably a good thing. The photo evidence is incriminating enough.
I had a good bike and had moved into the front of the field. I saw new power numbers during that race, and speed was good, too: 24.2mph according to my Garmin. While the hideously ugly face shield is supposed to be wicked aerodynamic, I am sure that my gaping mouth is NOT. I think I was just trying to get more air in my lungs.
The adventures continue (literally) . . . stay tuned for some exciting news.