The Challenged Athletes Foundation increases visibility of disabled athletes while raising money to cover the high cost of adaptive sports equipment. photo credit: courtesy of Challenged Athletes FoundationParaCyclist Ryen Reed is participating in the 2025 Million Dollar Challenge.
More than 120 cyclists, including two dozen athletes with physical disabilities, are embarking on a journey down the California coast. Their aim is to help level the playing field in adaptive sports. The week-long event kicks off in Santa Rosa on Friday, October 17th.
The 2025 Million Dollar Challenge kicks off in Santa Rosa at the Flamingo Hotel. Over the next week, the inclusive group will ride more than 600 miles to raise money to cover the high cost of adaptive sports equipment which, the Challenged Athletes Foundation says, is the number one barrier to participation.
“Some of the grant requests we get might be for $1,000 for travel expenses so they can go to a clinic or maybe go compete in a race. Some of the more expensive requests we will get, will involve those really cool techno running blades that you see, that have been made famous, I think, in more recent years with social media and broadcasting at the Paralympics, those may cost you know $25,000,” said Dean Roeper, chair of the Million Dollar Challenge and a board member of Challenged Athletes Foundation. He’s in Santa Rosa for the start of the weeklong cycling event…