Lee Altheimer does not remember his 2018 bicycle crash in Sunshine Canyon. His next memory was waking up many days later in Craig Hospital, where he spent many weeks beginning to recover from his body and brain injuries. He feels very lucky to be alive, and thanks all of his family and friends and the fabulous staff at Craig for his recovery.
Lee has been an avid cyclist for his entire life and is a fan of the Buffalo Bicycle Classic (BBC), so he vowed to get back on his bike and find a way to give back. As a long-time educator, Lee believes in the investment in education. The BBC has made college possible for many students.
The BBC has raised $3.9M dollars for student scholarships since it was created in 2003. Buffalo Bicycle Classic Director Paul Beale says, “The BBC provides scholarships to fifty students to attend CU each year. Even though all of our scholars graduated from high school with 4.0 GPAs or higher, because of family financial constraints many would not have been able to attend college without the support of our riders, donors, and sponsors."
Because of his injuries, Lee cannot ride his bicycle on the road. Instead, he rides his bike on a trainer in his bicycle racing-themed basement while listening to classic rock from his big collection of vinyl. The music keeps him company as he rides a little each day as part of the recovery process.“Seeing the excitement and happiness in Lee’s face riding his vintage Eddy Merckx racing bike on his trainer while listening to Buffalo Springfield with his family and friends cheering him on ringing bells on the first mile of his fundraiser was thrilling!” says Beale.
Lee dedicated all of his summer riding this year to his fundraiser for the Buffalo Bicycle Classic. He completed his 100-mile goal last week. Please consider contributing to his fundraising page: https://runsignup.com/leesspinchallenge