Bikers With Disabilities Bring Food To Starving Community

• Claire was nervous at first to lead bikers with disabilities.
• But that changed when she saw how strong they are.
• They rode 155-mile across Cambodia to give food to hungry people.

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A British woman led eight people with disabilities on a 155-mile biking challenge across Cambodia in a noble cause to raise funds and deliver goods to food banks in local areas amidst the health crisis.

Claire Wyatt, 24, together with her team of 8 Cambodian cyclists started their journey from Phnom Penh, the country’s capital city, to Siem Reap, in order to bring food to people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The brave volunteers Claire tagged along were bikers with various disabilities caused by illness, accidents, or birth defects.

After four days of biking a vast distance, they distributed staple food like canned goods, noodles, and rice to starving people. 

“Leading this trip was an incredibly special experience for me,” Claire said. “Not just the fact that I was inspired by the determination of each and every rider, but also the team taught me every day not to focus on their disability.”

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Claire admitted that she was nervous for her team the first time she was asked to lead them. Because such a long distance to cover only in a few days can cause them not only physical stress but emotional as well.

One of them, a biker named Dy, lost one arm in a landmine explosion and bikes using the other arm only to balance. Another team member named Vulta, had paralysis due to polio and pedals only on one side. 

Despite all the challenges, Claire realized how skilled her team is after she saw them go through rough terrains that even abled cyclists, as Clair had seen before, gave up on.

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“For the first ride, I was overly nervous and decided to stick to sealed main roads and only do around 20km,” she said. “Instead, the riders were very confident from the get-go, and we ended up doing 29km and included sections of bumpy tree roots and obstacle jungle trails. I have seen fully-abled people give up and walk during these paths, but not one of our riders did.”

After they crossed the finish line, they knew that they had not only given help to people but also, they had overcome great obstacles to get there!

“The best thing about this ride is that the riders have all volunteered their time to do this. They are so passionate about Cambodia and raising money for others in need,” Claire said. “The money raised will feed 99 families for the ongoing future in Siem Reap. Thousands of families are going hungry due to the lack of tourism in Cambodia since Covid-19.”

Claire also shared one moment that stood out for her was when Naret, the only female biker in the group, got tired at 70km. What one of her fellow riders did was push her gently to finish another 3km! 

“They were constantly encouraging each other,” Claire shared.

Source: Tank’s Good News