My Story

Perspectives change from time to time. Often this change isn’t brought on willingly. Sometimes change is forced upon us. It’s our reaction to change that defines us.

Change was thrust upon me February 3rd 2010 in a most gruesome of circumstances. My legs were crushed in a car crash caused by a foolish drunk driver. As I hung upside down trapped in death’s embrace of twisted steel, I thought of all the beauty I had been able to experience in my short life. Surprisingly, I couldn’t remember any of the heartache or painful things. I only thought of the great moments I shared with friends and family, the laughs, the hugs, the smells and meals I had enjoyed.

Doctors were able to save my legs, but it would be my responsibility to pick up the pieces of what remained of my broken life.

Throughout my difficult recovery it was my stories that kept me pushing past the pain. My stories kept me sane. Tales of youthful foolishness. Distant memories of a curious boy smitten by wanderlust. I was truly blessed with a fantastic life.

As soon as I could stand, I immediately began working on getting strong enough to get back onto my bicycle with the goal of reliving, revisiting and retasting all the beauty I had previously took for granted.

This was the defining moment of my young adult life. The catalyst that changed my perspective forever.

Things I had previously thought of as important or essential, no longer mattered. I faced my own mortality and was humbled by how fragile my body truly was.

The bicycle became my salvation. It became a tool that would allow me to overcome physical, financial and geographical limitations. For the only true currency we have in this world is our time and I refused to waste any of my remaining time on things that make me unhappy.

Cycling makes me happy. Exploring makes me happy. Good food makes me happy. So I decided to combine all three and explore the world on my bicycle and eat everything on my journey.

I have nothing in this world but time and a bicycle but that’s all I need to make me happy.