Jul 21, 2009
Bicyclist honors trainer who helped return him to saddle
Joseph Flanigan hadn’t ridden a bike in years. But he wanted his daughter Joanna, then 6 years old, to be able to. Eighteen years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Flanigan took a chance and rode a bike for about 10 feet.
“I was so excited I cried,” said his wife, Debra Downing. “I called my mom and said, ‘He’s doing it, he’s riding a bike!’”
Two years later, in June, Flanigan participated in the Great-West Life Bike MS ride, traveling 150 miles. On Friday, he and his family honored his trainer, Hugh MacEachran, with his framed jersey to thank him.
“Everyone kept coming by me and said, ‘You’re my hero,’” Flanigan said. “So we call it ‘You’re my hero’ jersey, and that’s why we’re giving it to him.”
“He believed that I could do it,” Flanigan said. “He told me I could ride over the Horsetooth hills, I could do the ride. Him believing in me helped me believe in myself.”
Flanigan was diagnosed with MS soon after he turned 40 years old. The autoimmune disorder attacked the myelin tissue around his nerves, affecting his balance and coordination.
He said he never thought he would be able to ride a bike again. Shortly after his bike ride with his daughter, he and his wife picked out a $3 bike at Habitat for Humanity, then upgraded to a $7 bike at a yard sale.
Within months, he was able to ride around the block and back. He sought out MacEachran, a former professional cyclist and co-owner of the Orchard Athletic Club, for training.
Flanigan said MacEachran taught him how to stay upright and the mechanics of riding correctly. The two had intensive training sessions two times a week, riding together in the Front Range hills.
“He went above and beyond the call of duty,” said MacEachran’s brother, Ainslie MacEachran. “He went and rode with (Flanigan) all the time. They have a relationship that just works.”
Flanigan said MacEachran did “hill repeats,” an exercise to ride hills over and over at harder gears to build endurance. It was the hill repeats, Flanigan said, that helped him overcome his obstacles.
“They were physical hills, but they were also psychological hills,” he said.
“He helped me beat them.”
Flanigan said he also received a lot of support from the Loveland PEDAL Club, a bicycling club. He rides with them two times a week on their 30-mile rides.
“They are such wonderful people,” he said. “If I could give another award, I would give it to them.”
With MacEachran and the PEDAL Club’s support, Flanigan completed the MS 150 ride, to benefit the National MS Society. Flanigan hopes his jersey will inspire others when faced with illness.
“Even when you have a life-afflicting disease, you can adapt and overcome it,” he said. “You can take on a challenge and succeed.”
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