Paracyclist Adrián González Díaz has been readying himself this week to cycle some 950 kilometers, traveling from Nezahualcóyotl, a borough of Mexico City, to Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca on back roads, one of the longest such rides attempted in Mexico, he says.

He told Mexico News Daily he plans to hit small town after small town on the 30-day odyssey that was to begin Saturday at first light.

The 38-year-old athlete has triumphed in other sporting competitions for people with disabilities and is eager to show people that for the disabled, life does indeed go on. 

“I have always been passionate about extreme sports,” González told the newspaper Milenio.

“I practiced athletics, cycling and when I was 25 I had the accident. I fell from a height of six stories. I was drunk and I did not know what happened. When I woke up I was in the hospital with a spinal cord injury that left me paralyzed, but that did not stop me, I have been adapting to this new life,” he said.

“I have participated in several competitions; at first it did not go so well, but later I began to win medals, trophies, and I dedicated myself to giving talks on personal motivation to people with disabilities,” he said. 

Making the trip is an adventure in itself, and González has created a Facebook page to document the journey to Oaxaca and the sights he sees along the way. But also important to him is promoting adapted cycling, which is a way for people with disabilities to remain independent.

González also works on creating adaptive devices that are affordable as much of the technology and devices available are out of reach financially for many people with disabilities.  

He says he strives to “be an example for young people, so that they value what they have and do not live [just] to live; we have to break paradigms,” he said.

González is accepting donations to defray the cost of the trip on his Facebook page.

Source: Milenio (sp)