Cale Wadden’s inspiration to partake in the MS Bike Tour came from one of his wheelchair-bound clients living with multiple sclerosis.
Wadden, an occupational therapist, and three of his friends decided to tackle the tour in wheelchairs.
But they came to a major roadblock: By law, the “Four Wheelers” are not allowed to wheel down roads without sidewalks.
“How are you supposed to increase independence … if policies are holding you back?” said Wadden. The team was prepared to hit the road as a third party and abide by pedestrian laws, keeping to the left-hand side of the road. But the MS Society could not accept the $2,500 the Four Wheelers has raised if they were conducting an “unsafe race,” said the Society’s director of development.
