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Hi, my name is Sam Audenino, and in July 2017 I was paralyzed from the waist down in a mountain biking accident in Big Bear, California at the age of 15. I lost all functionality in my legs and was left devastated. Mountain biking was my passion, and the thought of not being able to ride my bike in the mountains again left a hole in my heart that I never thought would be completely filled.
I discovered adaptive mountain biking shortly after I was released from the rehabilitation hospital and was immediately set on trying to find a way to get back on the mountain. However, the world of adaptive mountain bikes didn’t live up to my expectations. I couldn’t find anything that gave the adrenaline rush that I loved so much about mountain biking. However, that all changed this year.
I discovered a company called Bowhead Corp, based in Calgary, Alberta. They manufacture a bike called the Bowhead Reach: an adaptive mountain bike that handles very similarly to a two-wheeled mountain bike. One thing that I could never get used to was that many adaptive mountain bikes don’t use handlebars to steer, and instead use some other form of steering. I could never get used to not having a pair of handlebars to grab onto to guide my bike. The Bowhead Reach is one of the few adaptive bikes that does use handlebars. This bike is the most innovative machine available in the adaptive mountain biking community that I have seen, and it would allow me to ride trails that other bikes could never ride, either because they are too narrow or too off-camber. The Bowhead Reach’s front end design allows the front wheels to articulate independently of each other, meaning that you can really lean on the bike and still feel safe doing this.
But, this all comes at a price. I am working to sell my current bike and am willing to work to make up the difference, but I am asking for help to fulfill my hopes of filling the void that the loss of my mobility left in my heart. I am asking for help to allow me to continue to partake in my passion. Please consider donating in order to help cover the cost of this amazing piece of adaptive technology so that I can get back on the trails in a way that makes me feel whole again.
Sincerely,
Samuel Audenino
I discovered adaptive mountain biking shortly after I was released from the rehabilitation hospital and was immediately set on trying to find a way to get back on the mountain. However, the world of adaptive mountain bikes didn’t live up to my expectations. I couldn’t find anything that gave the adrenaline rush that I loved so much about mountain biking. However, that all changed this year.
I discovered a company called Bowhead Corp, based in Calgary, Alberta. They manufacture a bike called the Bowhead Reach: an adaptive mountain bike that handles very similarly to a two-wheeled mountain bike. One thing that I could never get used to was that many adaptive mountain bikes don’t use handlebars to steer, and instead use some other form of steering. I could never get used to not having a pair of handlebars to grab onto to guide my bike. The Bowhead Reach is one of the few adaptive bikes that does use handlebars. This bike is the most innovative machine available in the adaptive mountain biking community that I have seen, and it would allow me to ride trails that other bikes could never ride, either because they are too narrow or too off-camber. The Bowhead Reach’s front end design allows the front wheels to articulate independently of each other, meaning that you can really lean on the bike and still feel safe doing this.
But, this all comes at a price. I am working to sell my current bike and am willing to work to make up the difference, but I am asking for help to fulfill my hopes of filling the void that the loss of my mobility left in my heart. I am asking for help to allow me to continue to partake in my passion. Please consider donating in order to help cover the cost of this amazing piece of adaptive technology so that I can get back on the trails in a way that makes me feel whole again.
Sincerely,
Samuel Audenino