Sometimes in the face of adversity, all we can do is pedal forward and not look back.
Chuck M. was just 31 years old when his life changed forever. In the midst of happily continuing his married adult life, he discovered a small growth in his left foot. The growth continued to grow over time and Chuck decided to get the growth diagnosed by medical professionals.
His doctor assured him that this kind of growth was common, and the removal process would be quick and easy with a short two-week recovery timeline. Unfortunately, the removal procedure led to a larger discovery.
As it turned out, Chuck had a severe form of pediatric cancer in his foot, and it had grown so much that his doctors all agreed that amputating the foot was the best plan of action. "It wasn't even an option at that point to try to save the foot," Chuck explained. The option was to "just move on forward" the best he could without his left foot.
After the amputation, Chuck found himself with little motivation to lead an active life for about 10 years. He recalls watching a lot of TV, and struggling to get outside and explore with his wife as he once did.
About 10 years later, Chuck decided that he was tired of the sedentary life he'd adopted, and wanted to make a change for the better. He jumpstarted an active lifestyle by taking up traditional cycling, which he remembered loving as a kid.
Chuck slowly, but surely built up his endurance in cycling, and that endurance sparked up a competitive attitude within him. He then signed up for a century ride, which was 100 miles long, to fuel his motivation.
The energy and camaraderie from the cycling community during Chuck's first race were unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, and he immediately knew wanted to race again. He kept up with participating in competitive rides nationwide for a few years, and eventually hit the impressive 16,000-mile mark in 2018.
As much as he enjoyed all of the excitement of race days, Chuck eventually began to lose steam and passion for competitive cycling. He took himself out of the sport, and decided to watch from afar and cycle less frequently.
Around that same time, Chuck and his wife were in the market for a trustworthy electric bike to continue their adventures with, and stumbled upon the Lectric XP™ 2.0 on its release day.
The couple ended up ordering two Lectric eBikes so that they could ride together. Chuck explains that his eBike "completely reawakened the feeling of enjoyment while riding a bike again." The powerful motor of the electric bike, paired with Chuck's innate love for cycling has allowed him and his wife to achieve their greatest adventure yet.
Check out the awesome video below showcasing Chuck's inspiring cycling journey! We are so glad to have him and his wife in the Lectric family, and can't wait to see where their adventures take them next.