--- In BentPacNW@yahoogroups.com, "John" <old99jh@...> wrote:
>
> Tony Licuanan wrote:
> ... 2006 Wasco Wild West 75 recumbent road race...with *Cash
Prizes*.
> >
> >
> >
> Hi
> John the newbie here. What's "SPECIAL CLASS FOR people with
C.O.P.D."
> mean?
>
> John in Sutherlin
>
Hi! The Special Class - COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
means folks -COPDers - with and without oxygen will - thanks to
Clay! - have the historic first ever COPD Recumbent Trike Race!
Recumbent trikes are the greatest thing I've ever seen to get us out
and about in the world again with the least amount of strain to our
lungs.
I was able to ride in the American Lung Association of Washington's
TREK Tri Island 3 day bike ride last year. I was able to ride 50 of
the 135 miles! I 'could' have ridden the whole trip but only at my
own pace. You know our ferries don't wait for anybody and the super
volunteers helped me ride a portion each day. The 3rd day was my
longest ride... 20 miles into Victoria! I felt like I'd won a
million dollars - better!
COPD is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S.A., 5th in the
world and hardly anyone has ever heard of it. And until I found my
online support group, EFFORTS, I didn't know I could help myself
through exercise.
I know the racers at Wasco are serious and so are the COPDers in the
COPD trike race. We can't keep up with you regular folks, we won't
burn down the road and we'll maybe be a little nervous- some of us
will never have been on a recumbent trike before... but we're racing
against ourselves.. proving to us and other COPDers that life isn't
over just because we can't breathe - we're moving down a new path -
the recumbent trike path!

Thank you!

Sharon O'Hara familien1@...

PS: Many, if not most of us, have never seen recumbent trikes. If you
have recumbent trike photos you would share with my support group -
EFFORTS www.emphysema.net - please send them to me and I'll include
the ones I think work best with the information I'm sending in about
the upcoming race. EFFORTS is my inspiration and leading to another
COPD first. I'll post the url when it all gets on the websight.
I'll add names if you give permission to do so... Thanks! (I'm in
Silverdale and hope to join one of your rides someday... I'm slow!)