Cyclists want Toledo’s bike community to be inclusive and accessible for anyone craving a ride.<\/p>\n
TOLEDO, Ohio \u2014 Cycling just got more inclusive in the Glass City through a new partnership between Metroparks Toledo and the Maumee Valley Adventurers.<\/p>\n
The organizations have launched a program aimed at making biking accessible to individuals with disabilities, offering adaptive equipment and community support.<\/p>\n
Cyclist Bob Ewing, who started the initiative, says riding a bike is for everyone, and it\u2019s easy if you have a community to help you.<\/p>\n
Ewing, who helped start the \u201cCycling Without Age\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019m fulfilling a mission. Hopefully, these people are experiencing something like a gift,” Ewing said.<\/p>\n
That gift is meaningful to people like 42-year-old Danny Lohner, a guest with Toledo-based Assured Health Services who hadn\u2019t ridden a bike in nearly three decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my first time since I was like a teenager,\u201d Lohner said. \u201cEveryone should have something like this. It\u2019s very cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
The adaptive bikes, some costing nearly $10,000, are available to reserve through Metroparks Toledo\u2019s \u201cTry This\u201d series.<\/p>\n
The specially designed bikes were previously in storage, unused.<\/p>\n
\u201cFortunately, Maumee Valley Adventurers had these bikes in storage that they weren\u2019t using,\u201d Ewing said. \u201cHere I came along and I\u2019m just taking the bull by the horns to get these bikes out and put them to use.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n