For Liv Bender, adaptive mountain bikes allow for a return to the trails

“These bikes are not cheap. They’re difficult for people to attain,” said Jordan Atwell, NSCD’s adaptive mountain bike coordinator, who launched the biking program this summer. “That is the whole reason why I wanted to create this program so that people have access to these things.”

NSCD owns six adaptive mountain bikes, nine fat-tire mountain bikes, and 15 road hand-cycle bikes like the one Bender now rides. In total, the organization’s bike collection is worth well over $100,000.

Participants can try adaptive mountain biking and other activities by purchasing NSCD’s private lessons and camps. 

Atwell trained Bender on how to use an adaptive bike and said that during this time in June, the weather is great for outdoor activities. He was excited to take on the trails at Green Mountain Recreation Center in Hayden Park.

“My favorite part about riding that adaptive mountain bike is that it feels like it gives you a little more freedom than a wheelchair does,” she said. “I push the limits of places I can go with my chair. Being on an adaptive mountain completely goes past that. I can go faster, I can go up hills easier, downhill, and rocky terrains.”

There are hundreds of trails throughout the state of Colorado that are accessible to people who use special equipment such as wheelchairs for mobility. NSCD’s adaptive mountain bikes and other equipment is stored at their new location at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

“Whenever I see people doing these activities, and they’re really excited about it, it's awesome.  A lot of nerves happen at the beginning, but you get people like Liv who are just ready to go and excited about it,” said Atwell.

Although the organization partners with local hospitals, the majority of people learn about NSCD through word of mouth, said Julie Taulman, NSCD’s CEO.

“The disability community is a small community. So, oftentimes, when someone has tried an activity, they go back and tell their friends,” she said. “There are a lot of people that probably just decided that mountain biking wasn’t something that they would ever be able to do.” 

Taulman became involved in making sports accessible to disabled people after her son, Kyle, became disabled as a toddler when a cancerous tumor wrapped around his spine. Now a graduating senior studying electrical engineering at CU Boulder, Kyle Taulman represented Team USA as a Para-Alpine Skier in the 2022 Beijing Paralympics.

“[Growing up] I tried every sport that I possibly could,” said Kyle Taulman. “One thing that I’ve seen that helps pull people out of a dark space is adaptive sports. It lets you get out there. You could be as good, if not better, than anybody else in that sport.”

Like Bender, Kyle Taulman does not have mobility below his navel. But unlike Bender, he doesn’t remember walking because he was just two years old when he became paralyzed.

“As a kid, I always felt like anybody else,” he said.

“I believe adaptive sports put [Kyle] on the right path in life,” said his mother. “A lot of people with disabilities have depression and turn to drugs and alcohol and it weighs on the family to find activities to do together. I’m a true believer that adaptive sports helped to build [Kyle’s] independence and self-esteem in young adulthood.”

For Bender, mountain biking isn’t the only thing on her mind. She wants to explore more of Colorado’s natural landscape through other adaptive sports.

“There is always a way,” Bender said. “There is a way to do anything, it just requires a little adapting. Don’t be afraid. It is different — it will not be exactly the same as what able-bodied people are doing — but it might become a new hobby. Find out what you can do and try them because there is a way to do everything.”