Whatever Happened To Pete?
By Tom Steckert
Maybe you
remember him from GOBA in years gone by; the low-slung recumbent bike; the somewhat jerky movements; the impaired
speech; and most of all, that big grin that spoke of the sheer joy of freedom, of charging down the open road in a
manner denied him on foot. Whatever happened to Pete?
Peter Zeidner, or "Pete," as he came to be known, afflicted by cerebral palsy his entire life, became a friend and inspiration to countless bikers. How could you quit on that hill hen Pete kept plugging away? And how could you not feel the infectious warmth that came from that smile? Pete quickly became a fixture on GOBA.
The jerky movements and nearly unintelligible speech are characteristic of CP, an affliction to the spinal cord that traps a normal mind in a body that just won't cooperated. Biking was a great challenge to Pete, but also his greatest joy, a physical activity he could undertake nearly on a par with others.
That joy was all but extinguished three years ago, when an accident on GOBA caused further injury to Pete's spinal cord and ended his solo biking. He can ride, after a fashion, with his brother on a tandem recumbent, but that feeling of freedom, of doing something by himself, now eludes Pete.
Nine years ago, after riding around Ohio raising funds for CP research, Peter Zeidner established a non-profit organization called Pedal-with-Pete (www.pedalwithpete.org). That volunteer organization has raised over one hundred thousand dollars in support of CP research through benefit rides in the Kent, Ohio area. And with the inaugural Central Ohio ride scheduled for August 17, Pedal-with-Pete looks to break new ground in fighting CP. Pete hopes to ride with his brother on a portion of that route out of Hilliard. He'd certainly love to see his old friends from GOBA.
Photo from www.pedalwithpete.org