Shelley Gautier: Hero

It was with so much pleasure and gratitude that I read about Shelley Gautier in your December 2018/ January 2019 issue. She is my idol. I can relate to her story of hard work because I survived a very bad car accident (jaws of life type of thing) in 2000. I’ve had to relearn how to eat, walk and talk. Now I can fly, in terms of r.p.m.

I fell in love with paracycling in 2014 after trying a three-wheeler in Florida just for fun. The feeling of moving fast and on my own was awesome. I was hooked so I bought my own wheels. Then, there I was paracycling in Dieppe N.B., when I first heard about Shelley.

I worked with a trainer, Denise Leclair at the Moncton ymca, with the hope of actually competing some day. That day never came to be for many reasons. Still, I keep on training for the health benefits and for the love of biking. I am getting stronger and steadier. I’ve even graduated to an actual spin bike and clipless shoes.

Biking makes me happy. It has been a great way for me to work out and work through my worries and sorrows.

I love reading all of the stories in your magazine, even though I know most of them don’t apply to me. But with Shelley’s feature, I see that you have finally realized that biking is biking.

Danielle Savoie Moncton, N.B.