WINDHAM, N.Y. – The Adaptive Sports Foundation (ASF) will be welcoming retired U.S. Military servicemembers to Windham for its Warriors in Motion® intermediate road cycling event next week from June 4-6.
The ASF is anticipating having 10 U.S. military veterans arrive at the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center on Tuesday afternoon. U.S. Army veteran Milagros Rivera was introduced to the ASF’s WIM program last year, and she’s looking forward to another road cycling program.
“Last year’s WIM cycling event was the first time I rode in many years, and I enjoyed myself,” Rivera said. “That’s why I want to keep coming back to as many Warriors in Motion events as I can.”
Once the WIM participants arrive in Windham, they will be fitted for the bikes and safety equipment they will be using all week before enjoying a lunch and a brief run through on how to properly operate a bicycle and the rules of the road. Once everyone is ready to ride, the group will begin a 12 to 14-mile trek through the streets of Windham, Hensonville and Maplecrest. After the ride, the participants will check-in to their hotels and relax a little bit before they’re invited back to the ASF for a 5:30 p.m. dinner catered by Jessie’s Harvest House.
The warriors will begin Wednesday with breakfast at their hotel before getting picked up by the ASF shuttle bus at 9 a.m. They will depart for an all-day ride from the Windham Mountain Club parking lot and head into Hunter. The morning trek will be 11 miles and will feature some steep hills before the group breaks at Dolan’s Lake for lunch. When the warriors and volunteers have finished eating, they will continue their ride for another 13 miles and end up in Phoenicia, completing a scheduled 24-mile haul. The ASF shuttle bus will pick up all the participants and bring them back to their hotels to rest before another catered dinner at the ASF lodge.
The warriors are expected to check out of their hotels on Thursday morning before meeting back at the ASF for their final ride of the week; an 11-mile ride to Colgate Lake. The participants can then change into their swimwear and take a cold plunge into the lake if they wish before the ASF shuttle bus brings them back to Windham for a barbecue lunch at the ASF lodge.
“The ASF’s WIM program is very important to me because I live by myself and when I’m in the house with nothing to do, that stresses me out, and this program relieves my stress,” Rivera explained. “I’m retired, so coming out to do this is a blessing for me and I really enjoy the camaraderie of being with my fellow veterans. It feels like a family, and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”
Thanks to grants received and private donations, the ASF is able to provide bicycles (to those who need them), helmets, water bottles, all meals, hotel rooms, snacks, water, sports drinks, sunscreen, bug spray, ponchos (if necessary) and maps, both digital and paper copies.
About the ASF’s Warriors in Motion Program
The Warriors in Motion program provides participating injured United States servicemen and women with a basic knowledge and practice of wellness and the importance of lifelong healthy living. All WIM programs are goal-oriented and empower the warrior to take charge of their own fitness and wellness. If you’d like to learn more about the Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Warriors in Motion program, visit www.adaptivesportsfoundation.org/military-program.