Cycling - The Racing Post

Cycle Logic - A Lesson In Gratitude

By Diana North

It’s not often I hold back tears while waiting for an organized bike ride to start. In fact, it’s never happened before. But it did October 14 in Mount Dora, Florida, as I watched a man slowly walk his young daughter to a specially designed tandem bike. I stood there fighting tears because the moment her eyes rested on the bike, this girl started bouncing up and down with excitement and making happy sounds. It was clear she wanted to be on that bike. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Riders standing nearby watched with me as the man lifted her and gently placed her in the front seat. Then he strapped her thin legs into special pedals, fastened her helmet strap under her chin and threw his own well-defined leg over the seat behind her to take a few warm up laps before the ride started. And I couldn’t help thinking how fortunate I was to be able to pedal my own bike.

This patient man is the young girl’s father, Dennis Sutherlin, who, I found out later, just happens to be a road racer and cyclist for the last 20 years. His daughter Breanna is 12 years old and has Rett Syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, leaving her at the mental capacity of a 6-month old baby. Breanna, or Bree as her father calls her, recently developed seizures. Her physical abilities are severely limited, so there is very little she can do. But she sure loves to ride a bike. I know this because I had the pleasure of sharing a pace line with Bree and Dennis. Riding directly in front of them I could hear her squeals of glee and her melodic laughter, as well as the soft, patient voice of her father as he spoke to her. And I couldn’t help wondering why I so seldom hear someone laugh with the sheer joy of being on the road on a sunny day, anywhere, on a bike.

There is no cure for Rett Syndrome. But Bree, a slender, fair-skinned and freckled girl with blonde hair and clear blue eyes still gets to ride a bike with her father. Thanks to his ingenuity, determination and welding abilities, Dennis Sutherlin has made cycling possible for Bree. His experience and connections as a cyclist should have helped him locate the bikes and parts he needed right away, or so he thought. But when Sutherlin started searching, he found only a few bikes that could be used for disabled people. He also discovered that most of them were not designed for kids like Bree. So he used his welding skills to hand make custom parts, such as the special pedals designed to stabilize her legs and keep them moving, which serves as part of her physical therapy. He hopes to continue riding with Bree as she grows, and that presents additional challenges.

“These kids do grow up; people forget that,” Sutherlin said.

Sutherlin’s determination didn’t end when his searching did. He figured if people with serious cycling experience and connections couldn’t find what they needed, how would other families? As often happens, parents willing to do the work of changing things helped turn possibility into reality. Sutherlin and his friend and partner, Rich Benton, decided to create an organization they call Adaptive Cycling. Starting a new business to help other families who have special needs children find bikes to suit their needs is a labor of love for the two men. They are currently supplying all the funding themselves while trying to generate support from local bike shops and schools in their area. Some of the bikes recommended or used by Adaptive Cycling are tandems, trikes and recumbent trailer bikes. And they are expensive. Sutherlin, as a fabricator can custom make items like foot platforms, back supports and leg braces to make riders safer and more comfortable. Such adaptations allow the use of bikes currently available as well as assisting in the creation of custom made bikes that allow children and adults with physical and mental challenges to experience the unique joy of cycling. For Bree, a special bike means being able to ride a bike with her father.

“It sure beats sitting at home,” Sutherlin said.

All this led me to reflect on what special needs children can teach us about our sport and life in general. And it also made me grateful for what I, as an able-bodied cyclist, am able to accomplish on my own bike. After riding with Bree, I’ve also decided it would be nice to hear more laughing and see more bouncing for joy at group rides—even if that means I have to supply it myself. Also, I’m more convinced than ever that we cyclists should do more to make our roads safer and to welcome everyone who longs to ride a bike, whatever their limitations may be.

The end of another year of cycling is a great time to take stock and be grateful for our abilities or achievements on the bike. It’s good to be reminded of the gifts cycling bestows—the joy, the fun, the health benefits, all that spent money and the time devoted to developing our skills. The end of the year is also a good time to share what we’ve learned with others interested in becoming addicted to the sport—after all, sharing is good for us. And it’s the perfect time to be grateful to family and friends who support us, put up with us, or at least still speak to us (provided we aren’t still insisting on monopolizing an entire evening with Tour rehashes and displays of healing road rash). Last but not least, we can be glad for another year of staying upright, healing road rash or short hospital stays on our way back to the saddle. Cycling is one more thing we have to be grateful for, one more way we have to enjoy life. Even if it takes kids like Bree to remind us.

For more information about Adaptive Cycling go to www.adaptivecycling.net or call (407) 656-3896