WATSONVILLE — Some 50 military veterans passed through Watsonville on their bicycles Monday morning, the first leg of a 450-mile ride that will end Saturday in Ventura.
The United Healthcare California Challenge was benefitting Project Hero, a nonprofit that helps veterans and first responders affected by injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
Organizers say the noncompetitive bike tours help participants achieve rehabilitation, recovery and resilience in their daily lives.
Shawn Morelli was serving as an engineer officer for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan in 2007 when she was injured.
Morelli, who lives in Pennsylvania, then entered a cycle of depression, during which she gained 100 pounds and harbored suicidal thoughts.
“I was struggling a lot,” she said.
All of that changed in 2009 when friends encouraged her to take up bicycling.
She has since become a veritable celebrity in the cycling world, breaking the women’s pursuit world record at the 2016 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships, and taking home two gold medals in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
All of this cycling has helped redirect Morelli’s life, kept her in shape physically and brought her into a world where camaraderie and shared experiences help veterans break the destructive patterns of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“It put me back in control of my body,” she said. “It’s peaceful and healing being out and around in nature.”
George DeCastro of San Jose was a U.S. Army Ranger when he was injured by a roadside bomb. The incident left him with a brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, and ended his 22-year military career.
He found himself avoiding human contact by staying inside and teetering on the verge of alcoholism before learning about Project Hero and the bicycle rides for veterans.
He now participates in about four rides per year, and says that going out in public is a simple matter of walking out the door.
“This is a life-changing experience,” he said.
According to Project Hero spokesman Peter Bylsma, participating in the rides can reduce PTSD episodes in veterans by about 90 percent.
“And it does it in a way that no other therapy can,” Bylsma said.
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For information, visit ProjectHero.org.
