United Spinal Association member Steve Ackerman will be competing in the first-ever Off-road Handcycling World Championships on August 26 and 27 in Crested Butte, Colorado. Ackerman, a resident of Fort Collins, Colorado, recently conquered the difficult White Rim Trail in Utah unassisted.

The event will feature athletes with disabilities competing on specially-designed handcycles outfitted for off-road riding. Off-road handcycles have a single-wheeled drive train in the back (similar to a two-wheeled mountain bike) with two wheels in the front for stability. Riders finishing 1 through 10th place will receive awards and prizes.

According to Christopher Hensley, Executive Director of the Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte––who are widely recognized as the nation’s leading program for off-road handcycling and will coordinate event logistics ––This event will set the bar for the sport: “The U.S. hosted the first-ever road handcycling World Championship in 1998, and the sport is now huge. Therefore, it only makes sense that we host the first-ever Off-road Championships in the U.S. as well…it’s a perfect fit for our program niche, right here in Crested Butte!” said Hensley. For information, please visit www.ushf.org.

United Spinal Association is a national nonprofit disability rights organization. The Association sponsors a wide variety of wheelchair recreational and adaptive sports programs, guided by the belief that the benefits of participating in sports are no different for athletes with disabilities than for able-bodied athletes. Membership is free and open to all individuals with disabilities of the spinal cord.