Adaptive biking event aims to break barriers for riders with disabilities
‘One of my goals when I first started riding was to figure out how we could get something going in Ontario,’ says Handcycling Club of Canada member
A mountain bike enthusiast is organizing an inclusive event for all ages and skill levels at Horseshoe Resort in Oro-Medonte in October.
“Most of us who have learned to ride these (adaptive mountain) bikes go out west to do that. So, either Alberta or B.C. is where most of the hubs are for renting bikes or going to camps and events,” says Jen Gadoua, Handcycling Club of Canada (HCC) member.
When Gadoua became a member of the HCC in 2021, she noticed a gap in the opportunities for people with disabilities.
“Most of the people who belong to the handcycling club have their own bikes, and so that’s not really what inclusive sports look like. If you don’t have a bike, you can’t ride,” she says.
With a $5,000 Ontario Community Changemakers grant, Gadoua, who lives in Kitchener, organized an adaptive mountain biking event at Turkey Point last May. It attracted many cyclists from more northern communities, like Orillia and Midland.
With its success, she thought to host another one closer to home for these bikers.
Knowing Manda Freyman — founder of the local women’s mountain bike club Peace and Wheelies, and the Mountain Bike Exchange — Gadoua reached out and the two solidified some plans.
Freyman has been connecting bikers since 2018. It is important that volunteer guides and instructors know the local trails. Volunteers from her network of bikers will be helping for the weekend.
“Right now, we’re looking at how to make our trails more adaptive,” says Angela Gibson, member of Peace and Wheelies and of the board for the Simcoe County Mountain Bike Club. She says she frequents the Orillia trails in particular.
Gibson is volunteering to lead adaptive riders through the Copeland Forest trails.
“The complication with Copeland is that it’s like a giant spider web of trails … It’s only a short drive from Orillia, and we know many riders from the area already use these trails,” she says.
Gibson anticipates the day to be filled with learning and connecting with more mountain bike enthusiasts.
“I’m looking forward to learning more about how the bikes work, how you fit someone to the bike and what they’re capable of doing, and just meeting other riders, because they’re coming from far and wide. So, anyone who rides, it would be a fun event to come out to,” she says.
Gadoua explains her interest in organizing these events came from the realization most adaptive biking events are held in Western Canada and the United States, making it harder for some people to attend.
The bikes themselves — which can cost upward of $20,000 — take some training to learn to ride. They can also be complex, often customized for individual riders.
“Not everybody has the luxury to travel, and then, likewise, not everybody has the luxury to own an adaptive bike, because it just assumes a lot of things,” Gadoua notes, calling attention to the space requirements and social support needed to own and use an adaptive mountain bike.
The event is open to all experience levels. It offers riders with disabilities the chance to experience a bike for the first time or simply to spend the day on the trails with others, fostering a stronger adaptive mountain biking community. Many of the riders connect through clubs on social media but have not met in person.
“One of my goals when I first started riding was to figure out how we could get something going in Ontario. So, that’s basically what I’ve been doing for two years,” says Gadoua.
Since then, she has been taking coaching courses, applying for grants, and connecting with different riding clubs. For the upcoming event, she is using $5,000 of the $15,000 Community Sport for All Initiative grant received through the Canadian Cycling Association — which also funded a road handcycling camp this past summer.
Through social media, Gadoua has attracted the attention of two occupational therapists who are volunteering to attend the upcoming event.
“One is someone who helps with the Canadian adaptive climbing team, and the other one does a lot of wheelchair fittings,” Gadoua says, noting the seating on adaptive mountain bikes sometimes calls for creative adjustments.
“For this camp, we’re also hoping to raise awareness,” Freyman says about the importance of safe and inclusive opportunities for people with disabilities.
By highlighting the story of one rider and setting up a GoFundMe page, Freyman says organizers hope to “help a young athlete with a brain injury gain access to a bike of her own.”
On Oct. 2, a community talk about adaptive mountain biking and a basic information session will cover appropriate language and trail etiquette.
The adaptive mountain bikers will cruise through the Copeland Forest trails, Simcoe County Mountain Bike Club trails, and Horseshoe Valley. Oct. 3 and 4 will be for beginner and intermediate riders, with advanced riders taking the downhill trails Oct. 4 and 5.
Gibson highlights the Oct. 5 demo day, when people can try different bikes and then participate in a group ride.
The overlap of experience and abilities is valuable. Gadoua explains one biker who attended the demo day at the event in May has since purchased his own adaptive bike.
“He may have the possibility to go out riding with somebody else who has the same bike as him, who’s been riding for five years. So, it’s cool because there’s that mentorship as well,” she says.
There will be a variety of five different adaptive bikes available to try at the demo day.
The opportunity to test the bikes is not always possible prior to purchasing one. The difference between the way one appears versus how it feels to ride can be significant.
Although space is limited, Gadoua says there are 15 to 20 riders registered to participate in October, which is more than double the number from the event in May.
The community talk is open to anyone. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP by emailing Gadoua at jengadoua@gmail.com.
Volunteers are needed for setting up, supporting riders, trail marshalling, and general logistics. No previous adaptive mountain biking experience is required. Those wanting to sign up as a volunteer or register as a rider can do so here.
In-kind support is also welcome, as are donations of money or food and drink as organizers expect to be feeding about 40 people.
Financial donations can be made via PayPal, which goes directly toward participant access. There is no registration fee for adaptive riders and HCC is a non-profit organization.
By Danielle Pitman, BarrieToday.com
