Project Hero

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For a guy with no job or responsibilities, I’ve been quite busy the last few years. No, really. Productive, even. I’ve been busy, well, listening to records and following hockey, but my main focus has been Project Hero. “Project Hero empowers veterans and first responders through cycling, providing hope, healing and resilience. By supporting our mission, you help transform lives, strengthen communities and honor those who have served.” We are a cycling group, on both a national and local scale. I ride with the Denver Hub, and am also the social media guy for said hub. Started as “Ride 2 Recovery,” Project Hero (Pedals, not Pills) was founded as a way for military veterans and first responders to work on mental health by riding bicycles. In addition, we’ve also had folks overcoming physical limitations, quitting various substances, dealing with grief, etc, pass through our ranks. While Project Hero is not affiliated with the VA, we work closely with the VA (particularly here in Denver,) and most local Project Hero hubs are within the vicinity of a VA. I had heard that there is a Project Hero hub in all 50 states, however, I’ve also heard that there are a couple states that don’t have one. Anyway, we ride bikes. The rides are casual, no drop, and supported. In Denver we ride 2 x week and 1 x week north in Longmont. We also, along with our local sponsor, Adaptive Adventures (a fine organization in its own right!), participate in annual Colorado events such as the FoCo Fondo gravel race, Grassroots Gravel, Boulder Roubaix gravel race, Denver Century Ride, and others. Nationally, there are yearly Challenge Rides, 6-day epics that draw both a national and International field (fellow military from other nations regularly show up,) as well as Base Camp events. Here in Denver, we also try to head off somewhere for a good, long ride away from the usual. We are a non-profit, so we rely on sponsorships and donations. Donations include bikes. We have a fleet of bikes available. If a veteran or first responder is interested but has no bike, no problem! And if someone has adaptive needs, we work with Adaptive Adventures (again a wonderful organization!) to help with that! I joined Project Hero in 2020, but did not start riding with them until after the pandemic. Since I joined, I’ve ridden over 15,000 miles (I ride a lot in my spare time,) and consider my Project Hero brothers and sisters my family. These days, mental health is extremely important. Groups are very helpful (and interesting,) but can be expensive if you don’t have the proper access to them. Finding a mental health group that doesn’t necessarily discuss mental health, but rather aids it through a favorite activity and camaraderie is a great way to work on it. It’s like working on your mental health without realizing you’re working on your mental health! I encourage you to find a similar-type of group and get busy! And, a 2024 compilation video I made (link below): For more information on Project Hero: National: weareprojecthero.org Denver: https://www.facebook.com/groups/159816151248303 You Tube Denver: https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectHeroDenverHUB Adaptive Adventures: https://adaptiveadventures.org/