Fathers Pedaling for a Purpose This Father's Day

Every Father's Day, we celebrate the men who show up. The dads who cheer from the sidelines. The dads who advocate. The dads who carry extra responsibilities that few people see. The dads who do whatever it takes to help their children thrive.

At Yes We Can Cycling, those fathers are taking that commitment one step further by climbing onto bicycles and riding hundreds of miles to create more opportunities for children and families impacted by disability.

What began as a small group of friends riding together has grown into a movement. Since 2021, Yes We Can Cycling has raised more than $2.4 million to support the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley, and the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago. This year, the team is working toward an ambitious goal: surpassing $3 million raised while taking on one of the country's premier gravel cycling events, SBT GRVL in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Recently featured by NBC Chicago, founder Brad Serot knows firsthand the challenges and joys that come with raising a child with disabilities. His daughter Ava lives with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. During a difficult season of life that included the COVID-19 pandemic and raising four children as a single father, cycling became an emotional outlet and source of strength.

What started as a personal journey soon became something bigger. Brad gathered a few friends and proposed an idea: What if they could use cycling not only to challenge themselves but also to raise money for organizations helping families like his?

The answer was Yes We Can Cycling. The first team consisted of just a handful of riders. Today, more than 20 cyclists (many of them are fathers themselves) train and fundraise together, united by a shared belief that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.

While not every rider is a father of a child with disabilities, many are dads who understand the power of showing up for others. They ride in honor of their own children, friends, family members, and community members whose lives have been touched by disability, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and other complex health challenges.

Their annual cycling challenges are demanding. Training requires months of preparation, early mornings, long rides, and countless hours on the road. But the riders know there are families facing far greater challenges every day. Families navigating therapies, medical appointments, equipment needs, seizures, accessibility barriers, and the ongoing work of ensuring their loved 

ones have every opportunity to succeed.

That perspective fuels every mile. This Father's Day, the fathers of Yes We Can Cycling are choosing to keep going, not only for their own families, but for thousands of others. They are riding to support programs, services, research, and opportunities that help individuals with disabilities live fuller, more independent, and more connected lives.

To all the dads who advocate, encourage, support, and inspire: Happy Father's Day.

Support the ride at www.TinyURL.com/YWCCGive