Spokes Fighting Strokes Adaptive Cycling Clinics

Three people standing in front of a promotional banner for Spokes Fighting Strokes and Spokes Adaptive Cycling.

Spokes Fighting Strokes Free Adaptive Cycling Clinics with Dan Zimmerman

Dan Zimmerman, founder of Spokes Fighting Strokes.

Spokes Fighting Strokes is a non-profit organization focused on helping those affected by a wide range of physical and mental disabilities on their journey to rehabilitation by utilizing recumbent trikes. Spokes Fighting Strokes has been touring the United States for four years, providing open recumbent trike riding clinics to stroke survivors, paraplegics, and those affected by neural degenerative diseases like M.S, Parkinson's, & Alzheimer's. This year, Dan's Wisconsin leg of the tour will have two adaptive cycling clinics in Central Wisconsin, both of which are free to attend and open to the public.

Dan Zimmerman suffered a life-altering stroke in 2005 caused by Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT). Though recovery was difficult and took a long time, he is now able to do many things that were previously considered unattainable. Dan is now the founder of Spokes Fighting Strokes, a 501c organization, whose mission is to reach every stroke survivor and show them that recovery is possible! Through their Spokes Adaptive Cycling clinics in Arizona and Colorado, they help stroke survivors gain independence, ability, hope, and freedom.

Dan from Spokes Fighting Strokes Talks About his Organization

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0:46 I was a business owner.
0:51 About... 25 years in cabinet shops.
0:57 Wood Works by Dan was my cabinet shop.
0:59 So, 12 people lost income the day I had a stroke. I forgot to teach
1:13 people, or show one person my job.
1:21 I had a stroke, a bad one.
1:26 ...and it changed my life.
1:30 Then, it was just devastating. Just uh...
1:36 But now I'm thankful for the stroke, and... it got my priorities straight.
1:51 Doctors told me wheelchair for life and no talking.
1:59 The left hemisphere was too badly damaged in my brain.
2:06 And I believed them...
2:11 For four long years, I gained weight, 65 pounds on this frame.
2:21 and I watched TV every day.
2:31 One night I got up uh bathroom, heard my heart beating in my ears.
2:39 Loud!
2:41 And decided to fight or die.
2:46 Thankfully I uh get better uh
2:53 Next day I bought a trike.
2:57 And pedaled back to health
3:04 The first two years were very hard.
3:10 Uh, no talking
3:15 Somewhere in the first year I began to talk,
3:22 because I think pumping my blood to my brain to...
3:29 ... oxygenated it solved everything.
3:33 A couple years forward I started my foundation, SpokesFightingStrokes.org.
3:46 Now I have 11 groups in the United States.
3:53 More coming from online.
3:57 I think here there's good possibilities.
4:03 And um Breanna is key to Spokes here.
4:13 So now, I have groups all over country.
4:21 So, uh I uh travel to each group.
4:29 What a life! Just uh teaching, or showing
4:35 people how to get back their lives.
4:42 Example: uh Jake from Tucson.
4:47 He come to a presentation, and we first saw Jake in a wheelchair.
4:58 Two guys uh help him up and out, and placed him on the trike,
5:11 and believe it or not, every stroke survivor has one leg
5:21 and they're able to move the trike with one leg.
5:29 First, they doubt. but
5:33 But now, four years later, okay.
5:39 (He's) moved out of uh his parent's house
5:45 has a full-time job,
5:47 and is triking all the time.
5:52 I've help so much people, and every
5:58 group I started, they're now triking on as a group.
6:05 I love uh teaching or showing people,
6:12 and riding uh all across country.
6:17 I have three uh cross-country trips already. All in a trike.
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We talked with Dan Zimmerman from Spokes Fighting Strokes at 2023 Pedal Point Rally about his experience touring the United States with his organization, and his recovery from a stroke in 2005. In 2026 on Dan's recent tour, we raised $28,474.58 at the 7th Annual Pedal Point Rally for Spokes Fighting Strokes to continue their cross country mission.