Veterans take part in the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – This week, wounded veterans are taking part in a ride created to help them recover from their injuries while reminding them they are never alone.

More than 35 wounded veterans cycled through Colorado Springs as part of Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride, a four-day ride designed to empower wounded veterans on their recovery journeys.

"We do believe that healing starts with movement," said Kervin Quinones, Soldier Ride Manager. "So just getting the veterans to come out and exercise, do something hard again because they've done that in the past, and just kind of remind them, we do want to get them in with their peers as well. Like just again, understanding that they're not alone."

The ride has become so popular that veterans from states across the west coast came to Colorado Springs to participate – including one veteran from Hawaii.

"Coming from Hawaii I thought, oh man, the elevations there! And I did train for this, and I thought it was gonna be a lot worse," said Navy Veteran Larry Polendey. "It's like a challenge through strength. It gets you out of your comfort zone, so you get to experience other opportunities that you might not do by yourself."

Army veteran Eric Dahl tells KRDO13 he's glad he was able to take part in this ride, and it's something he will always remember. 

Organizers said due to so many veterans wanting to take part in this ride, they're planning on doing it in Colorado Springs every year from now on.

"We do have such a large backlog," Quinones said. "We are going to try to do it here every year around the same time."

Army veteran Tara Octaviano flew from Arizona for the ride. She was surprised when she found out she'd been selected to join the Soldier Ride, and was excited for a bonding opportunity with her fellow veterans.

"We've all been through some hard times. We've been to combat. We've been to all over the world. We've sacrificed a lot, and so it's time for us to now enjoy life and be around our friends," said Octaviano.

During tomorrow's long ride, the group will be cycling from the Air Force Academy to Downtown Colorado Springs.

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