After sustaining a spinal cord injury, Taranaki man Thomas Goodwin found freedom by getting back to the outdoors through adaptive mountain biking.
He and Dennis Pike are fundraising for adaptive, family-friendly trail loops at Lake Mangamahoe’s bike park.
The trails are designed for everyone, including families with bike trailers and kids learning to ride.
Together they created a Dusk to Dawn challenge last year; raising $5,000 to go towards the loop.
To bring more awareness to the cause, they are running the event again this year during Matariki weekend – more details to follow.
It’ll include demonstrations with adaptive bikes, and will be a great opportunity for those in the accessibility community who haven’t had the opportunity to cycle before.
Beyond the adaptive cycle loop, their overall goal is to make Taranaki a destination for “people with determination” – not only at Lake Mangamahoe, but elsewhere across the region.
Watch below to hear Thomas’s story in his presentation to yesterday's Public Engagement Committee, including a short demonstration of his $50,000 adaptive bike which is controlled entirely with his upper body! 👇
Givealittle page below 👇
