Parasport: expensive wheels that still give hope

"And this here is Carlos, the most beautiful moustache from Luxembourg!" Accompanied by a lot of laughter, they gradually dawdle into the Bambësch car park. Carlos, Delphine, Paul, Florent, Felix, Dario, the list goes on and on. It's Thursday and time for the inclusive bike training programme by Back to Sport (B2S). As the name suggests, it's time to get back on the pedals, back to other people, back to a daily routine with action and life. The programme is aimed at people with limited mobility, whether due to a physical disability, illness or accident.

While some of them are already cycling off, others are still pumping up their bikes, adjusting cushions in their backs or analysing their rides. The "newcomers" start in the early afternoon, because the introduction is the most important thing, according to Michael Toussaint, one of the committee members: "Xavier, our physiotherapist in neurology and founding member of B2S, asks the newcomers a few questions to analyse their state of mind and encourage them, " explains Michael. Paul, one of the participants, joins in: "My goal for 2024 was to get back on my bike. Four and a half years ago, I had an accident while cycling and was run over by a car. After that, I was in a wheelchair. But cycling has always been more than just a hobby for me and I want to compete again, so I'm here."

Because in the beginning there was the bike

One look around and it quickly becomes clear that although everyone here either lacks leg strength, limbs – yes, in para-sports people tend to speak in a sassy way – and mobility, there is no lack of willpower, thanks in large part to Back to Sport. "If you or I go to a sports shop to buy a bike, it takes 20 minutes and costs a few hundred euros. But if people with disabilities go to a sports shop, they wait several months and pay five times more, " explains Xavier Masson, physiotherapist and co-founder of the association. When the leaders of the training sessions meet the participants for the first time, many are dejected, discouraged and have already given up on their "best" time. The B2S team is there to show them what is still possible.

This is made possible by a simple discovery on Xavier's part: "Pino", the special tandem bike from specialist bike manufacturer Hase Bikes. "All of our bikes are precisely adapted to the needs of people with limited mobility, i.e. they can pedal with their hands ('maindaler'), the brakes are on one side only or the frame is designed so that the legs can be easily transferred from one side to the other without having to lift them too high, " reveals Michael. The club owns over 50 bikes – only seven of them, the ones for trips in the forest, cost over 100,000 euros in total, "and those are the cheaper ones". It becomes clear why cycling quickly becomes a double obstacle for those affected.