Wounded vets in Windham for mountain biking excursion

WINDHAM―This week, wounded veterans descended on Windham for the Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Warriors in Motion mountain biking excursion.

Eight U.S. military veterans arrived at the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center on Tuesday afternoon to meet with Adaptive Sports Foundation (ASF) staff and volunteers who will assist them on their three-day adventure.

They were fitted for their bikes and safety equipment and enjoyed lunch before heading out to the trails around the Glen Falls House in Round Top for their first ride.

Jake Simmons, a retired Utah National Guardsman, used to love mountain biking. This will be his first opportunity to ride since becoming disabled in 2021.

“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 received a brief tutorial Tuesday 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.

On Wednesday, the riders are scheduled to leave the mountaintop and head north to Thacher State Park in Voorheesville. 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.

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.

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.

“I’ve always said that next to family, the best medicine is being outdoors,” Simmons said, adding that he is excited to be in the Catskills with his ASF family.

“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,” he explained.

“The ASF allows me to participate, and that makes the [Warriors in Motion] program so valuable to individuals like me,” Simmons said.

This summer, the non-profit ASF is hosting six Warrior in Motion programs, welcoming injured U.S. veterans to Windham for road cycling, kayaking, and mountain biking.

For more information about the ASF and its programs, visit adaptivesportsfoundation.org.

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