He Wants To Bike For A Cause

DAYTON - After losing his legs to polio 60 years ago, David MacNall is ready to make a change and do some- thing big for the Dayton Food Bank and Project Timothy.

On Aug. 13 when he woke up at 8 a.m., as usual, Mac- Nall, 62, heard about a man who biked 2,000 miles across the country to raise money for a cause on the Tri-Cities radio station KONA. The thought of biking across the country to help those in need struck MacNall as something he wanted to do and some- thing meaningful he could spend his time doing.

So MacNall went to his friend, Mayor Craig George and asked what he could do for Dayton. George suggest- ed MacNall use the trip to raise money for two organi- zations the city is always try- ing to assist, Project Timothy and the Dayton Food Bank.

George said he and Mac- Nall met when George first moved to Dayton. George said he hopes MacNall is able to get the project going because it would be benefi- cial to the community and the groups receiving funds.

"I'll support him in every way I can," George said. "I'm glad to see he's doing this hellip; I know he's excited about it."

George said the idea was all MacNall's and he hopes it is successful.

MacNall, who was origi- nally born in Massachusetts, has lived in Dayton since 1995.

"It's time for me to do something," MacNall said. "I want to do something for Dayton."

MacNall realized quickly that his motorized wheelchair moving five miles per hour would be too slow to cross the country, so he wanted to purchase a hand trike that he could use his arms to pedal.

There is one big problem with the hand trike, though - the price.

MacNall shopped around and ultimately discovered the Bicycle Barn in Walla Walla had the best price for a hand-operated tricycle. But at $975, the bike seems out of reach.

Even if he can save enough money to buy the bike, he will still have to have some custom adjust- ments made to hold his feet up, which he is unable to do because of his childhood bout of polio.

MacNall said he considered going to a vendor in Canada who makes custom bikes for handicapped people but those bikes would be even more expensive, be- tween three and seven thou- sand dollars.

For now, MacNall is try- ing to garner support for his cause and save about $75 a month of his fixed income.

"I'm serious about this," MacNall said. "I've been told all my life by my parents that 'you can't, you can't.' So why not start now?"

MacNall said he plans to practice hard once he is able to afford the bike and ultimately work up to being able to ride from Dayton to New York.

"If I can get faster and get a good run for the first year, then I'll do it every year for the rest of my life," MacNall said. "If I get good enough, I'll do it twice a year."

The trip would be about 2,700 miles by the route MacNall wants to take, but he said he is confident he can do it.

When he returns from the trip, he plans to either transfer the money to the food bank and Project Timothy or write them a check. He said his goal is to get a big truck and fill it with food donations to take to the food bank.

For more information about the trip or to donate to MacNall's bike fund, email davidmacnall62@gmail.com or call MacNall at 629- 1156.