From our friends at the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte...
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First-Time Ride the Rockies Handcyclist Completes Ride the Rockies
(Crested Butte, CO)—Tim Ellison, one of three handcyclists riding with a team of riders from the Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte, completed all 435 miles of the Ride the Rockies annual bicycle tour this past weekend with arm power and determination. The six-day ride (June 15 – 21) took participants on a breathtaking and often times grueling journey from the cycling mecca of Durango to the historic mining town of Breckenridge.
Forty-nine-year-old Ellison rode a three-wheeled arm-propelled handcycle specifically designed for people with spinal cord injuries and similar disabilities. Ellison became paraplegic in 1992 in a flying accident while flying for the Royal Air Force in England.
“Four hundred and thirty five miles in six days is a lot for old guy like me,” Ellison said. “But the further I went the stronger I felt; it kind of got easier as I went.”
Ellison said the hardest thing about being a handcyclist in Ride the Rockies was not the physical act of cycling, but rather, staying strong mentally. Most cyclists riding traditional bicycles take, on average, half the time to complete each day of cycling as the handcyclists.
“I’d usually get on the road by 6 a.m., knowing that I’d have 10 hours, perhaps 12 hours, ahead of me with everyone passing me. For a guy that can be pretty demoralizing, but I blocked it out and didn’t let it affect me,” Ellison said.
With up to 2,000 riders passing Ellison each day saying, “On your left,” there were plenty of opportunities to socialize and get to know other riders. Many comments from other riders were complimentary and downright flattering. “A lot of people said I was an inspiration, a lot of people got to know my name. A couple of girls passed me and the first one said you are coolest guy on the ride and the other one said I was the hottest,” Ellison said.
The most arduous portion of the ride for Ellison—and for many other riders— was the 92-mile day, which took riders on three difficult climbs in heat and wind from Montrose to Crested Butte. Completing that day of riding was one of two highlights for Ellison during the week. The other highlight was the ride from Crested Butte to Cottonwood Pass at an elevation of 12,126 feet, “because of the achievement and the view.”
A native of England and now residing in Big Bear, California, Ellison heard about Ride the Rockies one month ago from the Adaptive Sports Center. The Center supported three handcyclists throughout the ride, including Ellison. The other two handcyclists, Robert Davis of Houston, Texas, and Steve Ackerman of Ft. Collins, Colorado, have both completed the entire ride in years past. Ackerman is a 16-year veteran of Ride the Rockies.
Ride the Rockies Tour Director Chandler Smith commended Ellison and the entire team of handcyclists for their achievements.
“We are thrilled to have partnered with the Adaptive Sports Center at this year’s tour,” Chandler said. ”Tim’s presence on the route and his feat of completing all 435 miles was an inspiration to me.”
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For more information about the Adaptive Sports Center of Creste Butte, visit their website.
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