Summary
Eight veterans are scheduled to participate in WIM Mountain Biking July 14-16.
WINDHAM, N.Y. — The Adaptive Sports Foundation (ASF) is set to welcome eight wounded U.S. military veterans to Windham next week for its Warriors in Motion® (WIM) mountain biking excursion, taking place Tuesday, July 14, through Thursday, July 16.
Jake Simmons, a retired Utah National Guardsman who was injured just days before joining the U.S. Army, used to love mountain biking. This will be his first opportunity to ride since becoming disabled in 2021.
“I loved riding a bike as a kid. I used to ride on BMX tracks, and I would ride around my college, Colorado State University, all the time,” Simmons said. “Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to ride in five years.”
Simmons and the seven other veterans will arrive at the ASF’s Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center at noon Tuesday to meet the ASF staff and volunteers who will help them navigate the local trail system. They will also be fitted for their bikes and safety equipment and enjoy lunch before heading to the Glens Falls House Trails in Round Top for their first ride.
Participants will receive a brief tutorial on how to shift their weight while riding over rough terrain and, if applicable, how to operate their pedal-assisted e-bikes during an introductory downhill course. After a couple of hours of riding through the northern Catskills, the veterans will check into their hotel before returning to the ASF lodge for dinner.
On Wednesday, the riders will leave the mountaintop and head north to Thacher State Park. Located in Albany County, the park features 25 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails and offers panoramic views of the Hudson-Mohawk valleys and the Adirondack and Green mountains.
The Warriors in Motion group is scheduled to arrive at the park by 10:30 a.m., where participants will focus on skill development and double-track riding. They’ll ride until 3 p.m., with a lunch break at midday, before the ASF shuttle returns them to Windham. After time to wash up and relax, the group will gather at the lodge for dinner.
On Thursday, the group will head to the Hathaway Trails in Tannersville to put its newly learned skills to the test. All veterans and volunteers will compete in a time trial down “Thriller,” a mountain biking trail featuring twists, turns and jumps. The friendly competition will give participants a chance to challenge themselves while earning some bragging rights among their peers.
Once final times are tallied, the group will return to the lodge for lunch before participants head home.
“I’ve always said that next to family, the best medicine is being outdoors. I’m really excited to come to the Catskills and spend time with my ASF family, including current ASF volunteer and fellow wounded veteran, Matt Garrad,” Simmons said. “The ASF has served individuals like me for a long time. They have the accommodations that allow anyone to participate. Also, adaptive equipment is very expensive, so for me to get back into an activity that I used to love prior to my injury would be an enormous financial obligation. The ASF allows me to participate, and that makes the WIM program so valuable to individuals like me.”
Thanks to grants and private donations, the ASF provides all necessary equipment, helmets, water bottles, meals, hotel accommodations, snacks, drinks, sunscreen, bug spray, ponchos, if needed, and both digital and printed trail maps.
About the Warriors in Motion Program
The Warriors in Motion program provides injured U.S. servicemen and women with a foundation in wellness and lifelong healthy living. All WIM programs are goal-oriented and empower participants to take charge of their fitness and wellness. For more information, click here.