Cyclists want Toledo’s bike community to be inclusive and accessible for anyone craving a ride.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Cycling just got more inclusive in the Glass City through a new partnership between Metroparks Toledo and the Maumee Valley Adventurers.
The organizations have launched a program aimed at making biking accessible to individuals with disabilities, offering adaptive equipment and community support.
Cyclist Bob Ewing, who started the initiative, says riding a bike is for everyone, and it’s easy if you have a community to help you.
Ewing, who helped start the “Cycling Without Age” program under the Maumee Valley Adventurers. Inspired by his son, who has cerebral palsy, Ewing said the accessible biking idea has been more than a decade in the making.
“I feel like I’m fulfilling a mission. Hopefully, these people are experiencing something like a gift,” Ewing said.
That gift is meaningful to people like 42-year-old Danny Lohner, a guest with Toledo-based Assured Health Services who hadn’t ridden a bike in nearly three decades.
“This is my first time since I was like a teenager,” Lohner said. “Everyone should have something like this. It’s very cool.”
The adaptive bikes, some costing nearly $10,000, are available to reserve through Metroparks Toledo’s “Try This” series.
The specially designed bikes were previously in storage, unused.
“Fortunately, Maumee Valley Adventurers had these bikes in storage that they weren’t using,” Ewing said. “Here I came along and I’m just taking the bull by the horns to get these bikes out and put them to use.”
As the program expands, Ewing says they are seeking sponsors to help cover costs and volunteers to assist with transporting cyclists and guiding rides through the parks.
More details on how to reserve an adaptive bike and volunteer opportunities can be found through Metroparks Toledo’s website.