Riding for Achilles International
Hi, my name is Max and I’m on a big expedition: to ride my bike from Helsinki, Finland to Cape Town, South Africa, with the mission to promote equal human rights, social inclusion, accessibility, and well-being of people with disabilities along my ride.
Pedaling with Purpose
25,000 km, traversing at least 26 countries, and living for a year and a half on my bike. I've been dreaming about this journey for years, and I'm overjoyed to actually embark on my big ride. I can't wait to experience these diverse countries, spend days pedaling free as the wind and sleeping under the stars, build my self-confidence by persevering through the many challenges of the ride, and meet many friendly, funny, kind, interesting, and inspiring people with their own unique backgrounds, cultures, traditions, and personal stories.
I also want to make my ride about a mission bigger than myself. I've always loved exercise, and this passion led me to pursue a PhD in sports science. My research focuses on the potential of robotic exoskeletons to improve mobility in children with Cerebral Palsy. Through my PhD, I learned about the barriers and stigma people with disabilities face in their everyday lives, especially when it came to being active. I believe in the positive power of movement, that it makes us healthier, happier, and can foster community. And, I believe movement is for everyone! Achilles International is built on these values, and they work to make sport more inclusive, to open spaces for people with disabilities to participate in exercise, to empower athletes to push past what they thought they were capable of and reach their individual finish lines, and foster a supportive and welcoming community, where everyone with all levels of ability can belong and thrive! It's an honor to support Achilles as part of my big ride.
Achilles International: Making Sport Inclusive For All
Founded in 1983, Achilles International supports athletes with disabilities around the world to participate in sport and exercise, join a supportive community, and compete in races and reach finish lines. The mission of Achilles is to empower people with disabilities to celebrate the athlete within by removing barriers to athletic participation, creating a compassionate community of athletes and volunteers, and championing inclusion in sports and society. With the help of dedicated members and guides, Achilles has served over 150,000 athletes worldwide. Most of Achilles programs focus on running or adapted cycling, but their main objective has always been to bring hope, inspiration, and the joys of achievement to all.
With my personal passion for exercise, and my mission to promote inclusion and independence for people with disabilities, Achilles International immediately interested and inspired me as an organization. I joined my first Achilles workout in New York, running as a guide for a blind athlete, both of us holding a tether while we ran alongside each other. It was my task to point out any potholes or obstacles, and signal changes in direction. But mostly we just chatted and get to know one another's stories as we jogged together. It was a meaningful, fun, and empowering workout, and I joined another Achilles group run in Munich, Germany, and hope to join for many more workouts with different Achilles chapters along my ride and around the world.
What struck me most in my workouts with Achilles was the community. Everyone there, no matter whether disabled or not, was seen, welcomed, and valued, and everyone was included with the individualized support they needed to participate in the way they wanted, whether that meant a hard training run for an upcoming race, or a short jog or walk around the park. The core value, that movement brings us together and we can find ways to make movement and exercise accessible to everyone, showed in every step of the process. The mission of Achilles deeply resonates with me. Sport and exercise, and all the joy, personal accomplishment, and community that come with it, should be inclusive for everyone!
I began my trip in June, and have ridden from Helsinki to Paris, over 3,500 km. On the way, I met many inspiring disability activists, learned about their stories, and strengthened my motivation to use my trip to promote inclusion and independence for everyone across the disability spectrum! I will be supporting and raising money for Achilles for the rest of my ride through Europe, from Paris to Southern Spain, before I make the leap to Africa. I can't wait for all the new experiences, joys, challenges, and lessons to come on this next stage of my journey! Please check out my social media links to follow along on my journey.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.soulful.cyclist/
Blog: https://thesoulfulcyclist.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557761381810
And please check out the Achilles International website to learn more about their work and how you may be able to help as a volunteer at a chapter near you: https://www.achillesinternational.org/
Go Achilles!
