WINDHAM, N.Y. – The Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Warriors in Motion® program starts next week with our road cycling event on Tuesday, May 24 through Thursday, May 26.
The Warriors in Motion (WIM) 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 Warriors in Motion programs are goal oriented and empower the warrior to take charge of their own fitness and wellness.
The programs kick off with a three-day road cycling event, where eight participants will ride bikes for a total of just over 40 miles over the span of the few days. One of the participants, U.S. Army veteran Greg Hitchcock, is very familiar with our program.
“No matter how fun the events are, and the recreation is, I think the greatest satisfaction of coming to the ASF every year is getting to know my people and my friends I’ve met,” Hitchcock said about the WIM program. “Socializing with the great staff they have at the ASF, that’s my greatest satisfaction with participating.”
“I’ve done this for five or six years. I keep coming back because I love it, it’s great, it’s good for my mental health, my anxiety and I refresh myself when I attend.”
The first day begins at 11:30 a.m., when warriors arrive at the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center for bike fitting, preparations and a lunch. From there, the group takes an 11.6-mile bike ride to Maplecrest, followed by a dinner back at the ASF lodge.
Day two will be an all-day affair, starting with a hotel breakfast at 8 a.m. Our ASF shuttle bus will then take the riders across the river into Hudson, where they will begin a journey to Kinderhook and back, a ride that covers roughly 20 miles with a lunch break in the middle. The group will then return to their hotel rooms to get ready for another dinner at the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center.
The final ride will take place on the morning of May 26, where the cyclists will ride from the ASF lodge to scenic Point Lookout along Route 23 for more photo opportunities and a chance to take in the clean mountain air. The roundtrip ride will be another 11 miles for the warriors and take place before lunch and farewells at the Adaptive Sports Center.
“I like to go to events like this with other veterans,” Hitchcock explained. “Doing it with veterans is especially meaningful because we’ve been there, we’ve done that, we share stories and it’s just unbelievable the amount of camaraderie you get with another veteran. It’s very unique and special.”
Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the ASF will be able to provide bicycle rentals (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. If you’d like to donate to the Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Warriors in Motion program, or any of the other programs the ASF has to offer, click here.