Meet Elizabeth Philbin

I love the places bikes can take you. The climb is always worth it and the descent, even more so. Growing up outside of Detroit, Michigan, biking was primarily a form of commuting over to a friend’s house or to and from work. My biking was minimal and my bike knowledge even more limited. To me, gears just made the pedals go so fast your feet would fly off or too slow enough so you couldn’t go anywhere. Things changed quickly, when I landed in Crested Butte, Colorado working for the Adaptive Sports Center. The Adaptive Sports Center provides year round outdoor adventure programming for people with disabilities and their families. Soon, I picked up mountain biking and discovered that with gears, you can go up hills! In 2012, never having ridden a road bike before, I was thrown into my first Ride the Rockies as support member for our team of riders. My first road ride was over 75 miles with flat pedals and no chamois. And that’s how I ended up buying my first pair of chamois. I believe everyone should have access to the outdoors through sport no matter their ability or disability. Ride the Rockies can change lives in the healthiest of ways. I’ve watched Ride the Rockies build friendships, break old habits and provide new challenges. I’ve worked in the adaptive sports field for over 15 years and Ride the Rockies is one of the most unique, inclusive opportunities out there. The views are remarkable, the air is thin and over 2,000 cyclists come together with the same goal. As team captain of Team Adaptive Sports Center, my main role is to make sure that our riders are set up with all the tools they need to complete this challenging tour, so they can focus on their ride. This year we will support 14 adaptive riders, 12 of whom are veterans. Collectively, Team Adaptive Sports Center will ride over 6,230 miles. If you see us out on the road, come ride with us for a bit!