National Wounded Warrior Project Cycling Program Focuses on Skill Development
As the world slowly begins to open its doors, the Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) nationally recognized cycling program, Soldier Ride®, has begun to hold more personal, smaller sized cycling camps with a focus on warrior safety during the pandemic.
This skills development camp is an educational multi-day event that introduces cycling techniques and drills to help warriors strengthen their cycling game. Skills training includes but is not limited to:
- straight-line riding, which helps warriors balance and cycle in a consistent path while on the road or riding with others.
- cornering, which teaches warriors to safely enter and exit a corner through appropriate body positioning.
- slalom, which sharpens warriors’ abilities to make decisions and avoid obstacles.
- braking techniques, including how to pair front and rear braking.
- hand-eye coordination, which helps warriors cycle while accessing gear, such as water bottles.
WWP programs offer other ways for warriors to get more active in cycling, too. In addition to the camps and traditional Soldier Ride event, the cycling program launched online offerings for warriors during the COVID-19 pandemic this past April. Now, nearly 850 warriors are active in WWP’s online cycling community and regularly connect through virtual coffee socials, riding challenges, cycling maintenance tutorials, and more.
Connecting warriors and their families to safe programming can directly impact their psychological well-being and resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak. The combination of virtual and in-person programs will help reach warriors at different levels of their recoveries and at higher levels of engagement. This year, WWP is offering around 30 skills development camps across the nation to support warriors on their cycling journey, and some camps are even extending beyond cycling to snow sports.
Since 2004, Soldier Ride has been using adaptive cycling technology to help injured veterans get active in the sport and build confidence as they strive toward their highest physical and mental wellness ambitions. Thousands of warriors from across the nation have connected with each other and their local communities — and education plays a big role in keeping the momentum once warriors are back at home.
Click here to learn more about WWP’s Soldier Ride program.
Contact: Vesta M. Anderson — Public Relations, vanderson@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.570.0771
About Wounded Warrior Project
Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers — helping them achieve their highest ambition. Learn more.