This past weekend, I volunteered to be an amateur radio operator at a bike ride, as I have done for over two decades. We operate as the eyes and ears of the ride, monitoring activity at the rest stops, and having a number of “sag” drivers on the road to keep track of the riders. I have, over the years, done all the roles….rest stops, sag driver, and net control, which is just like dispatch at your local police or fire station. This year, I could not do net control because of my voice disability, which I wrote about a couple of years ago.
The ride, Foxy’s Fall Century, is held every year in October, and has three components….the 100 mile ride (century ride), a 100 kilometer ride, and a 50 kilometer (31 mies) ride. My assignment was at the Winters, CA, rest stop on the 50 K ride. Winters is a lovely small town which, over the years, has capitalized on its location to become a “destination” town for tourists and cyclists, with great restaurants, bakeries, and wineries. I used to ride there regularly, and the ride through the agricultural fields next to Putah Creek is wonderful.
But this diary is about what I observed at the rest stop. The 50K ride is the one that families, and older folks, and even disabled folks do for a manageable outing with many kindred people. I want to write about the disabled riders, because they truly inspired me.
First – the handcyclists. These are people who have lost the use of their legs, so use adaptive tricycles that allow them to pedal with their arms. I knew they were coming, because our radio organizer’s brother is one of them, and he loves to remind me to look out for him. As a traditional cyclist, I can’t even imagine going any distance using only my arms, but these cyclists did just fine. I watched them coming and going, and thought, well, if I’m ever in that situation, I’ll know what to do.
The couple of riders that made the most impact on me, though, was a married couple (I assume) that rode in on a standard bike and a recumbent trike. The husband was on the bike, and the wife was on the trike. They parked in an auto parking space next to where I was parked. The lady got out of the trike very slowly, and I soon discovered she was quite disabled. She had to walk with two canes, very, very slowly, and curbs were a challenge for her. But she and her husband enjoyed the rest stop and the food, and eventually got back on their bikes. I had not seen her ride into the parking lot, but when she finally got back on her trike, her legs worked fine….she rode out of the lot very quickly. I am sure that her trike feels like freedom to her.
Ironically, during the time their bikes were parked in the lot, some guy sidled up to me and said, “Can you believe those bikes are using a space meant for cars?” I shrugged, and said, “Why not? They are two people, and how many people do most cars transport?” He walked off without another word….. I didn’t even mention that they deserved to park in a Handicapped Space.
Final note: the husband was incredibly patient. His wife moved at about 1/10th normal speed, but he was there for her every step of the way. I can only hope that I am that patient if I ever need to be. Saints only exist on Earth, and he is definitely a Saint.