Power-Assisted bike for Liz Ann
Donation protected
In 2008 Liz Ann’s life changed forever while descending MT Cowan in the Absaroka Range of Montana. A large, seemingly solid, rock that she was lowering herself down dislodged from the mountain causing her to fall, severing her spinal cord, and paralyzing her just below the chest at T5. As an avid skier, mountain biker and experienced rock climber she was devastated.
Indomitable Spirit
However, Liz Ann didn’t let her injury keep her from getting outside and doing the things she loves. As soon as possible after her recovery, she began biking with a hand-pedaled bike, cross country skiing seated in a sled with the skis attached to it,
and racing in her chair.
In the last 10 years she has competed in many ski races including the Paralympic Nationals Nordic 5K race, numerous triathlons,
the Flathead Lake 1 mile swim, and she logs many miles each year on the roads in her hand-pedaled bike. She learned to adopt the saying, “You are only as disabled as you think you are.”
As the first Pilates-trained instructor in Bozeman she continues to teach at her studio, and now teaches spinal cord injured folks to move and find the most efficient movement for their own body.
Getting back to the mountains…
However, her great love is getting up into the beautiful mountains around Bozeman. It feeds and nourishes her soul and grounds her. In winter it’s easier for her to get to some of the groomed trails and ski, especially with an able bodied friend. However in summer it’s difficult to get very far into the mountains in a wheel chair, and even a hand-pedaled mountain bike requires a pretty smooth trail with a gradual grade. She needs a hand-pedaled mountain bike with a power assist (an electric bike) to be able to go up hills and to ride with her able-bodied friends, and enjoy being in the mountains again!
In a Mountain Bike with a power assist!
The bike she needs is essentially a hand-pedaled mountain bike with a battery pack which allows her to get a little power “assist” when the going gets tough. She says, “I am happier when I can get into nature, be it the woods, trails that wind through trees and wildflowers, a creek or riverside, or the ocean. I would now LOVE to be able to get into the woods in the summertime. A mountain bike is the way to do that. I love to work hard and push myself, but to be able to bike with able bodied friends and not totally slow them down I need a power assist on that bike!”
Please help us get a Mountain Bike with Power Assist for Liz Ann. Any donations are welcome. Please donate if you can, but more importantly please share this with your friends.
The funds raised will be used to purchase a Lasher Sport All Terrain Handcycle with Electric Power System, and a handcycle hauler so Liz Ann can haul it on her car.
Indomitable Spirit
However, Liz Ann didn’t let her injury keep her from getting outside and doing the things she loves. As soon as possible after her recovery, she began biking with a hand-pedaled bike, cross country skiing seated in a sled with the skis attached to it,
and racing in her chair.
In the last 10 years she has competed in many ski races including the Paralympic Nationals Nordic 5K race, numerous triathlons,
the Flathead Lake 1 mile swim, and she logs many miles each year on the roads in her hand-pedaled bike. She learned to adopt the saying, “You are only as disabled as you think you are.”
As the first Pilates-trained instructor in Bozeman she continues to teach at her studio, and now teaches spinal cord injured folks to move and find the most efficient movement for their own body.
Getting back to the mountains…
However, her great love is getting up into the beautiful mountains around Bozeman. It feeds and nourishes her soul and grounds her. In winter it’s easier for her to get to some of the groomed trails and ski, especially with an able bodied friend. However in summer it’s difficult to get very far into the mountains in a wheel chair, and even a hand-pedaled mountain bike requires a pretty smooth trail with a gradual grade. She needs a hand-pedaled mountain bike with a power assist (an electric bike) to be able to go up hills and to ride with her able-bodied friends, and enjoy being in the mountains again!
In a Mountain Bike with a power assist!
The bike she needs is essentially a hand-pedaled mountain bike with a battery pack which allows her to get a little power “assist” when the going gets tough. She says, “I am happier when I can get into nature, be it the woods, trails that wind through trees and wildflowers, a creek or riverside, or the ocean. I would now LOVE to be able to get into the woods in the summertime. A mountain bike is the way to do that. I love to work hard and push myself, but to be able to bike with able bodied friends and not totally slow them down I need a power assist on that bike!”
Please help us get a Mountain Bike with Power Assist for Liz Ann. Any donations are welcome. Please donate if you can, but more importantly please share this with your friends.
The funds raised will be used to purchase a Lasher Sport All Terrain Handcycle with Electric Power System, and a handcycle hauler so Liz Ann can haul it on her car.
Organizer and beneficiary
Gigi Swenson
Organizer
Bozeman, MT
Elizabeth Kudrna
Beneficiary
