Kyle on his adapted cycle

I took part in the Ride to Unite at the Gateway cup bike race at Francis Park in Saint Louis. Ride to Unite allows people of all ages and abilities to ride on the Tour de Francis Park race course. If you made four laps around the course it was about 5 miles. Everyone did not have to complete the entire four laps, but I planned on trying to do so.

About a half mile into the race, we started down a hill. This was a gigantic hill. Spit was flying out from my mouth like a dog with its head out the car window. My legs were pumping the bike pedals so hard smoke began to trail behind me like a jet plane.

That’s when it happened. BOOM! Down I went. Sparks went flying as I skidded down the hill on my right side. I was mortified as bike after bike rode past. I wanted to disappear into the street. My dad came to my rescue. Thankfully the only injuries I received were a road rash on my shoulder and some scratches on my helmet. I guess it was a good thing I was wearing a helmet.

After my dad got the bike back upright and made sure I was okay, we slowly began again. Several people rode along side us giving us encouragement. And I could see that I was getting closer to making the first lap. It was so thrilling to hear all the cheers that I decided to go for another lap. I was able to finish 2 laps. That means I rode 2.6 miles.

Sometimes in life you might crash and burn; and you may think, “Well! This is hopeless!” But don’t give up. Nothing is hopeless! Nothing is impossible! You can do anything that you set your mind to. Be brave! Be strong!

Kyle Dinwiddie