By BRIDGET COOK
TROY Hawkins doesn’t let his disability hold him back and will next month take on a challenge many able-bodied people would struggle to do.
The Cranbourne man, who was born with spina bifida, is taking part in CyclePower in June – a demanding 550km ride around the main island of Fiji.
Mr Hawkins, 23, will complete the challenge on a handcycle which is a type of arm-powered recumbent bike with three wheels.
The event will raise money for Disabled Sport and Recreation Victoria (DSR) to give those with a disability a chance to participate in sport.
Along their journey in Fiji, CyclePower participants will also donate adaptive sporting equipment to villages of people with a disability, providing otherwise impossible opportunities.
Mr Hawkins said he hoped he could inspire other people by completing the challenge.
“I would love for other people with a disability to look at something like this and think ‘if he can do it, then why can’t I’,” he said.
“And I want to set a good example for everyone out there, not just people with a disability.”
Mr Hawkins is a personal trainer and a body transformation specialist but said CyclePower would still be both a physical and mental challenge for him.
“This will be the hardest event I’ve ever done as I have never done anything close to 500kms in such a short time and the fact that I have to back up the performance day by day makes the task more daunting,” he said.
“This will be a very physically demanding ride as we have ride long distances every day.
“I trust the training that I’ve been doing will hold me in good stead for the duration of the ride.”
Mr Hawkins is also using CyclePower as a form of training as he is working towards competing in wheelchair tennis.
“My ambitions in sport is to make a Paralympic Games in whatever sport I can and then go on to a coaching role for other paralympians,” he said.
To make a donation to Mr Hawkins’s CyclePower fundraiser visit www.everydayhero.com.au/troy_hawkins.
