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CONTACT: Zeke Davisson, 802-989-9648 or Zeke@kellybrushfoundation.org

TAKE A SPIN WITH KELLY BRUSH DAVISSON

TRY A PERFORMANCE HANDCYCLE, ENJOY SCENIC LAKESIDE RIDE

BURLINGTON, Vt. (June 25, 2015)—On Tuesday, cyclists are invited to join adaptive athlete Kelly Brush Davisson for a casual evening get-together and summer evening spin to raise awareness about the positive difference adaptive athletic equipment can make for those with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Hosted by Burlington bicycle and ski shop Skirack, “Ride With Kelly” is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event starts at Skirack’s bike rental facility at North Beach Park in Burlington, where riders can try a handcycle, learn about the Kelly Brush Foundation, sign up for the 10th Annual Kelly Brush Century Ride onSeptember 12, or just hang out and enjoy a summer evening on the lake.

At around 6:00 p.m., Brush Davisson will lead riders north on the Island Line Trail for a 16 mile round trip to the cut in the causeway in Colchester. The event is free.

“People can join in for the whole distance, just part, make their own ride or just hang out. Either way it promises to be a fun evening of riding, demos and prizes, doing what we love,” said Brush Davisson, who grew up in Charlotte and is founder of the Kelly Brush Foundation, which is devoted to empowering those living with paralysis through sport and recreation.

Brush Davisson, who was paralyzed in a ski racing crash in 2006, started the Kelly Brush Foundation with her family to improve ski racing safety and to help those with SCI improve the quality of their lives through assisting them in purchasing adaptive gear for everything from skiing to cycling to scuba diving.

The foundation’s programs include grants that help those with SCI purchase adaptive gear, which is typically custom designed and expensive. A handcycle costs about $5,000.

“The foundation has helped adaptive athletes purchase hundreds of handcycles over the past decade. We hear from them how transformative it is to get back on the road.  Tuesday’s ride is a perfect opportunity to see what it’s like to use adaptive gear,” Davisson said.

Davisson, who won the Boston Marathon women’s handcycling division in 2011, also rides every year in the foundation’s signature fundraising event the Kelly Brush Century Ride powered by VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, which is September 12 in Middlebury. The event hits a milestone this year, celebrating 10 years of cyclists supporting the foundation.

Rated Vermont’s best century ride by Vermont Sports Magazine, last year’s event drew more than 700 riders.  The ride is also the region’s largest for adaptive athletes using handcycles, with dozens of participants taking part annually.  Since the ride’s inception the foundation has raised more than $2 million.

About the foundation: The Kelly Brush Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated empowering those with spinal cord injury (SCI) through ownership of adaptive sports equipment and improving safety in the sport of ski racing. The foundation has raised more than $2 million, helping to purchase more than 300 pieces of adaptive sports equipment and procure over 400 miles of safety netting and other safety equipment for ski racing organizations. Kelly Brush Davisson, together with her family, started the foundation in 2006 after she sustained a severe spinal cord injury while racing in NCAA Div. 1 competition as a member of the Middlebury College Ski Team in Vermont. The Kelly Brush Foundation affirms Kelly’s ongoing commitment to live life on her own terms and better the lives of others living with SCI. www.kellybrushfoundation.org

IMAGE CAPTION: Kelly Brush Davisson on her handcycle. Davisson will be riding with friends on the Island Line Trail from Burlington’s North Beach to the causeway in Colchester on Tuesday, June 30, 2015. Cyclists are invited to ride along, try a handcycle and win great prizes from the Kelly Brush Foundation and host, the Skirack. With support from riders, volunteers and sponsors, the foundation has raised more than $2 million for adaptive athletes and ski racing safety.

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