Three-tour Vietnam veteran Bob Racine's newest recumbent is a $6,000 Trident Trike Chameleon. He's put in many hours on this trike through the streets of Oak Island, North Carolina. As founder and director of The Warrior Ride, he's preparing the customized Chameleon for its 2013 bike tour season.
The Warrior Ride is a non-profit founded by Racine and his wife, Debra, in 2005. The organization coordinates and implements adaptive bicycling events for wounded service members throughout the United States. It's a recreational platform for recovery and camaraderie among combat-wounded military service members -- any age, any branch, any war.
Consider these stats for the best of 2012:
- 7 tours
- 4 states
- 124 riders
- 570 miles
There's no participation charge for the wounded warrior; it's paid for by donations and grants. In fact, Racine says in the lull before the first 2013 ride in March, he's sending out e-mails and making phone calls to support the year's activities.
Go here to make a donation.
Trident Trike Chameleon Debut
The handmade two-seat recumbent is the latest addition to the bicycle inventory. It's a single and tandem trike that has been customized for wounded service members.
Racine and a crew of riders were in Charlotte during the 2012 season participating in the Military Family Lifestyle Charitable Foundation ride. Racine used this ride as a testing ground for the prototype trike. Special features were tweeked at the Trident Trike shop in Lincolnton, North Carolina.
Shop owner Tom Flohr says special features include extra seat mounting, a seat harness and independent pedaling for the person sitting in the back. The front rider steers, changes gears and pedals, while the back person is able to pedal at will.
As its name denotes, the Chameleon can be converted from a single to a tandem trike. Flohr says, "Nobody else does that."
March 13 to 16 is the Warrior Ride South Carolina tour: Monck's Corner, Mt. Pleasant, Myrtle Beach and Little River. It will be the Chameleon debut, and on the back seat will be a blind Special Forces captain -- his first time ever on a tandem!
Go here to find out more about The Warrior Ride.
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