#WhyIRide: To Never Give Up

For Colleen Alexander, riding her bike is a miracle. Every day is a miracle, in fact, because in 2011 she was hit by a freight truck that did not yield at a stop sign while riding her bike on a routine training ride. 

She flatlined twice, spent 5 weeks in a coma and has undergone more than 20 surgeries since that day, but that has not stopped her from riding her bike. She’s a triathlete and has completed more than a dozen triathlons, including 4 half Ironman races since she was hit.

So for Colleen, riding her bike is an act of defiance — she says she will not succumb to fear and she refuses to give up on the thing she loves for so many reasons. We’re so grateful Colleen decided to share her story with us this month for our #WhyIRide series. Watch her video explaining her ‘why’ below, and tell us your story at bikeleague.org/whyIride.