Under a beautiful blue New Hampshire sky, Steve Osgood is struggling to propel his bike up and over the White Mountains using only his arms.
Osgood is not a Guiness Book of World Records hopeful. All he has are his arms, which helped him complete the "Three Notch Disabled Cycling Expedition," a 100-mile, three-day trip that took him and other participants up, over, down and around New Hampshire's White Mountains this Sept. 13th, 14th and 15th.
The ride was organized by Northeast Passage, a UNH-affiliated program that caters to the needs of disabled people looking for adventure. This was the first year the organization was able get commercial sponsors like Handi-coach, Fischer Scientific and Granite State Independent Living. Participants were each asked to raise $1,000 in private sponsors. Overall, the event raised approximately $12,000 for Northeast Passage.
According to David Lee, the program's coordinator, the money will go to helping Northeast Passage provide numerous services to disabled people from all over New England in order to fulfill their mission to help people overcome the metaphorical mountains in their lives.
"This expedition was particularly important because it embodies our mission," Osgood said. "On this trip, disabled people have to deal with real life mountains."
The group itself was a mixture of first-timers and veteran hand-cyclers who all were encouraged to train for the trip over the summer. "It was a great group," Osgood said. "We had four paraplegics on hand cycles, including myself, one able-bodied [participant] on a hand cycle, and five to six able-bodied [participants] on regular bicycles."
"It was good to see the returning participants getting a chance to give back to the community," Lee said.
In a back room in the Northeast Passage office, the walls are lined with all sorts of adaptive sports equipment. Most noticeable are a dozen clunky contraptions that look more like upside down tricycles. These are the hand cycles, some of which were used by the "Three Notch" participants. The two hand cranks that sit at about chest height are locked parallel to each other on either side of the sprocket. This design would make it seem as if the rider were rowing along a river of pavement.
For the participants of the "Three Notch" ride, the roads they rolled over were more like raging rivers. One of these participants was Craig Gray from Scarborough, Maine.
"The hardest part of the trip was day one," Gray said. "The climbs were steep and the mileage long, which made for a physical challenge. We hadn't yet got into our rhythm as a group." Gray has participated in several fundraising rides, most recently a pedal from "ground zero" of the World Trade Center to the Pentagon in three days with the Face of America ride in 2002.
The "Three Notch" participants were riding four to six hours a day, but the effort was well worth the much deserved pampering they received from the AMC Highland Lodge and the North Conway Grand Hotel. "The group really enjoyed the well cooked meals and the comfortable sleeping quarters," Lee said.
Despite the grueling mileage and the grinding altitude, the entire group pedaled up and over their mountains, helping to raise money for a cause that has given them the opportunity to look out over one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world. Both Gray and Osgood agree that sharing that mountain vista with a great group of people made the trip that much more meaningful.
"The best part was pulling into the Kangamangus Pass overlook parking lot and congratulating each other," Osgood said.
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