More Power to You winner—Charging on after health challenges.
Chantel Hyde hadn’t ridden a bike since she was 15, and, due to medical issues, she wasn’t sure she’d ever ride one again.
You see, at age 12, she dislocated both knees. That led to a slew of progressive injuries, ultimately resulting in a recent full reconstructive surgery of both knees. Months of physical therapy has followed to help rebuild Chantel's muscles in her legs, and doctors recommended cycling to help with the process.
When her husband saw the Charge More Power to You contest earlier this year, he thought Chantel would be a perfect candidate to receive a free electric bike to help her continue healing. We agreed, as this is just the type of uphill journey we like to make a bit easier for people. Now, Chantel has been reunited with an activity she loved as a child and is rebuilding her leg strength one ride at a time on her new Charge e-bike.
“Riding the bike for the first time, I was nervous,” she said. “I had ridden stationary bikes, but going from a stationary bike to a real bike was a little nerve-racking at first. But the ride was extremely smooth, and knowing that any second if I was getting tired or my muscles or knees were beginning to hurt I could turn on the motor and be okay made me feel safer.”
She says her family is very active, hiking and biking regularly, but she has always stayed behind because she didn’t have the muscle strength to keep up. That’s all changed now.
“Now, I can go with them, and if my muscles fail me, I can turn on the motor,” she said. “It’s a great feeling to know that the more often I ride the bike and take it places, I’m strengthening up these muscles.”
Chantel says she’s thrilled to be back on two wheels and would recommend an e-bike to anyone, no matter their level of fitness.
“I think the Charge e-bike is great for a wide variety of people whether you just want to have fun, or you’re someone like me who has had extensive surgery and who needs a lot of physical therapy and is trying to build back muscle mass and strength,” she says. “You know you’ll never be stuck somewhere, and if you get nervous or scared or tired, you can use the pedal assist to help you get back to where you came from or to keep going. I would recommend the charge e-bike to everyone.”
To nominate yourself or someone else to receive a free Charge e-bike, submit a story online. Tell us a bit about how a Charge e-bike could make your story or that of some else better.
