PUTNEY — Paracyclist Alicia Brelsford Dana's custom-made “Freedom Ryder” handcycle was stolen on July 30.
Thanks to an outpouring of publicity and community concern, Dana got her bike back.
Her friends began a fundraiser last week to raise money to buy a replacement - valued at $8,000 - and to help support her training for USA Cycling Paracycling National Championships next June in Augusta, Ga.
Dana, 42, grew up in southern Vermont and was a cross-country ski racer. But in 1986, during her senior year at The Putney School, she fell 40 feet from a tree and became instantly paralyzed from the waist down.
She tried wheelchair racing, but when handcycles were invented, she became a passionate racer.
In 2000, Dana handcycled across the country (Washington state to Vermont) to raise money and awareness for disability-related causes including Adaptive Sports/ Breckenridge Outdoor Athletic Association; Research for a Cure for Paralysis/The Spinal Cord Injury Project; and disabled women who build their own wheelchairs in developing countries, called Whirlwind Women.
After this ride, she found herself in excellent shape and, with the encouragement of a friend, began handcycle racing.
Her first season, she beat the reigning female champion in the sport, and made her way onto the U.S.Team, competing in Germany in the World Championships in 2001. She also became national criterion champion in 2001, and won the “Challenge Alaska,” a six-day stage race from Fairbanks to Anchorage.
After marriage and the birth of her child, she took a long break from competition, and only recently has she gotten back into it.
This past spring in 2011, she won the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, which inspired her to compete in the National Championships in Augusta, Ga., in June, just to see where she is at compared to the current elite competition. She found out the hard way that her equipment was vastly outdated, and that she needed to make training a serious commitment if she wanted to really be competitive again.
A decade ago, there were only two other women at her level, and the three of them placed second, third, and fourth at the world championships. Today, there are six U.S. women (including Dana) who are competitive at an elite level, and many, many more Europeans who are dominating.
Now a single mom, she has been training hard since Nationals, and doing research into the best choice of upgraded equipment. While on a training ride on Westminster West Road on July 30, she got a flat tire and was forced to leave her handbike by the side of the road.
When she went back to get it the next day, it was gone. It was eventually returned to Dana by an unknown Good Samaritan this week.
The loss of her handcycle had been a blow, but it was also a wake-up call that she needed to find a way to upgrade as soon as possible.
Dede Cummings, organizer of the fundraiser, said that the “Freedom Ryder” is seriously outdated.
“It's 11 years old - a 1999 design - and would not serve her well in top-level competition, Cummings said. “The top competitors in the world and national championships are using cycles that are newer, much lighter, more ergonomic and faster. So we have shifted the goal of this effort. We want to send Alicia to the championships with the best possible handcycle.”
A new handcycle that would be competitive with the current standards costs about $8,000. It is called the Top End Force R, which is faster, lighter and stiffer than the original design. It is more aerodynamic, and has 30 speeds, a totally fixed fork, and carbon wheels.
People who contributed so far have been informed about the change, and contributions have continued to arrive. As of this week, more than $8,000 has been donated.
“We hope everyone will want to continue to support Alicia's training, which is an inspiration to all of us,” said Cummings.
A special fund raising event, with raffle prize drawings and recognition for donors, is being planned for Sept. 1.
Contributions may be made online at http://www.giveforward.com/handcycleforalicia, or checks can be mailed to DCDESIGN, 139 Main St., Brattleboro, VT 05301, made out to “Alicia Dana.” For more information on the raffle, call 802-380-1121.