Wounded warriors discover that cycling aids recovery
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- Created on Thursday, 05 August 2010 13:01
- Written by Nathan
By LANCE BENZEL, THE GAZETTE
Roadside bombs in Iraq robbed Sgt. Gavin Sibayan of the full use of his legs, but his spirit survived the blasts.
So did his arms.
On Thursday, in the saddle of a hand-crank-powered tricycle, the 29-year-old wounded warrior used his arms to propel himself into Colorado Springs on the final leg of a 325-mile ride that began Saturday in Cheyenne, Wyo.
“I can’t use my legs anymore. But I can use my arms,” he said.
Sibayan, who is recuperating in the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Carson, is among 100 wounded veterans from across the country participating in the Ride 2 Recovery Rocky Mountain Challenge.
The epic group ride crossed some of the best cycling roads in the country, giving the riders bonding time against some breathtaking scenery. In the process, organizers said, the riders raised money for cycling programs the group sponsors as an alternative therapy for wounded veterans.
“Cycling is something anyone can do, anywhere, anytime,” John Wordin, the director of Ride 2 Recovery, said during a brief stop at the Air Force Academy.
The group set off Thursday morning from Denver, and rode a short stretch with seven-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong, who was in Denver to announce a new pro cycling stage race planned for Colorado.
But for Ray Scott, 33, the highlight of the ride was the time he spent with military comrades.
The Aurora native said he was discharged from the Marines in 2004, after suffering a broken back when a shelter collapsed just before the Iraq invasion. Riding side-by-side with people who share his experiences — and his challenges — has been “life-altering,” he said.
“We pick each other up,” he said. “It’s like we’re still in the fight. We don’t let anyone fall behind. It gives you purpose.”
Scott was among the cyclists who volunteered to helped push tricyclists up hills. The hand-powered trikes bomb downhill at speeds approaching 50 mph and higher, but they are difficult to get up hills.
Sibayan, of Westminster, swam and played soccer in high school. When doctors told him that he’d never run again, he said he went through a period of profound depression.
“I gave up on pretty much everything,” he said. “Cycling gave me a whole new outlook on life.”
A handful of wounded veterans were riding the hand-powered trikes. Many others had custom bicycles to accommodate prosthetic limbs and other injuries.
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