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Handcycle demo day to be held Chilliwack’s UFV campus

Put on in part by Spinal Cord Injury BC, the event at Canada Education Park promotes handcycling as a mobility option
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It may sound obvious to say, but for those living with a spinal cord injury, life changes very drastically very suddenly.

“I was in a motor vehicle accident in 2005,” said Peter Froese, who’s the peer support coordinator for Spinal Cord Injury BC’s (SCI-BC) upper Fraser Valley region. “I suffered a T8 complete spinal cord injury, so I’m paralyzed from the chest down.”

With the use of a powered wheelchair, Froese was able to retain independence, but there were aspects of life that just weren’t the same.

“I wasn’t getting any exercise, and as such, I was putting on a lot of weight,” explained Froese. “In 2012, I said enough is enough and I started watching what I was eating and started with my handcycle.”

Froese admits he’d had the handcycle for several years, but it wasn’t until he was inspired to make a life change that he maneuvered himself into the bike’s seat and took himself for a ride.

“I’ve gone from barely going around the block to now being able to do rides that are 50- or 60-kilometers (long),” continued Froese, who managed to lose 85-pounds through a healthy diet and the use of his handcycle.

“For me, it’s just a lot of fun, and it’s such a personal passion of mine,” he added. “I go out (for a ride) four or five times a week. I call it my happy place: my mind is taken somewhere else and I’m feeling good. It’s made such a difference in my life.”

Which is why Froese has organized the SCI-BC Handcycle Demo Day Ride and Barbecue, to be held on July 21, in the UFV main campus parking lot at the corner of Caen Avenue and Sicily Road (the former CFB parade grounds).

“This way people are able to come out and see handcycles,” said Froese. Currently, people interested in purchasing handcycles are often limited to what they can find online.

“We’ll have (bikes) from vendors and also some from guys who are riding them. People can check out the pros and cons of each style, and ask why the rider chose it. They can also speak to vendors about the process of getting one.”

And best of all, people can take the handcycles for a spin. “(Attendees) can access and try out any of the handcycles there and get a first-hand opinion on what works for them. It’s a lot more to go by than just a brochure or website.”

Froese says there will also be transition devices to show people the different options from getting from their wheelchair into the handcycle. “There are even handcycles that connect to a manual wheelchair that some people use as a mode of transportation.”

The event, which begins at 10 a.m., goes until 2 p.m., and includes a free barbecue lunch for members of the mobility challenged community and their friends or family that starts at noon.

“This is the first time we’ve had a barbecue, so we’re hoping for a large crowd.”

And at the end of the day, whoever has brought their wheel will go for a ride, said Froese. The route will be determined by whomever is participating.

“The forecast looks great, and it’s just a great way to meet your peers, make new friends, and gain exposure to the possible vendors and distributors.”

For more information, or to RSVP to the event, please email Peter Froese at pfroese@sci-bc.ca.


@SarahGawdin
Sarah.Gawdin@theprogress.com

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