Today we rode from Corby into London. The Smiths had gone above and beyond their duties as hosts by waking us up to a home made breakfast and packed lunches for the long day ahead of us. It was hard to leave, but we were just as excited to meet with Wheels for Wellbeing at 2:00p.m. at Brockwell Park in London.
The ride was supposed to be around 60 miles but we had to cut it short because of the traffic headache that the olympics had caused. The team racked up and met with Wheels for Wellbeing which is a adaptive bicycle organization that helps those with developmental and physical disabilities. The Awareness Europe team set up cones to make a circular track for the participants to follow. The free session lasted for several hours and they had bicycles that helped individuals at all levels experience the joy of cycling. They had a wide range of cycles to use, from hand cycles to tandem cycles. The session gives everyone an opportunity to display their abilities of cycling. Before the participants arrived, we were allowed to try all of the bikes that they had on display. I especially gained empathy for those who have to use hand cycles. Hunter and I made the mistake of racing each other around the track with the hand cycles and we were exhausted after two laps. I am amazed at the endurance and physical demand that hand cycles must meet while riding and the experience gave me a whole new perspective on the skills or paralympic hand cyclists.
After a full day of cycling along the roads and with the kids at Wheels for Wellbeing, we drove and met with Addisons family friend who was located in London. He treated us to a bbq at a friends house before letting us stay at his flat for much needed rest and relaxation.
-Jay Baumgardner
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