Spokes Fighting Strokes - Kristin Weiss and recumbent triking
Kristin Weiss lives in Wisconsin and is a bilateral ischemic stroke survivor. In 2020, at the age of 41, she suffered 4 strokes - two in February that affected her left side and two more in April that affected her right side. She lost her independence and freedom. After her first stroke she was told her recovery time would be 6-12 months; however, the second set of strokes changed the prognosis to an ongoing lifetime condition.
I met Kristin in September at Cycle-Con 2024, a weekend celebration and gathering of recumbent cyclists, in the Dayton, Ohio, area. Kristin was participating in the event with Spokes Fighting Strokes and enjoyed her first recumbent triking rides that weekend, pedaling 95 miles over four days.
Her experience as a stroke survivor, beginning recumbent triker, and Spokes Fighting Strokes Chapter Co-Leader offered a unique perspective to trail-based recreation access and enjoyment. She participated in my collaboration with Whitney Washington and Kelsey Long to present at the 2025 International Trails Summit. I interviewed her to help share her story and advocacy efforts and develop our Summit presentation.
HB: Tell me about the strokes you experienced. What happened and how is your body affected?
KW: February 15, 2020, I was diagnosed as having had two strokes that affected the left side of my body. My symptoms were neuropathy or nerve pain. On April 2, 2020, I had two more strokes that affected the right side of my body. My symptoms are largely muscle spasticity, which is intense muscle contraction and stiffness. I use an AFO brace (ankle foot orthotics) that helps with walking and prevents ankle rolling. The spasticity is worse when the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I get really stiff and can’t go outside.
HB: And you live in Wisconsin. That must make the winters long.
KW: Yeah. My partner, Brad, is also a stroke survivor, but he was only affected on one side and still has his independence. He also has spasticity, but he can drive. We’re planning a trip to Arizona in February.
HB: Your trip sounds like a great reprieve.
KW: I’m really looking forward to it. I haven’t gotten out much since Cycle Con.
Kristin at Cycle-Con 2024 at the Spokes Fighting Strokes booth.
HB: How did you and Brad meet?
KW: Online.
HB: Did you know he was a stroke survivor when you first met?
KW: [laughs] No. I’m Korean, and I love kim chee. In my profile, I said the person I was looking for must like kim chee.
HB: What a match!
KW: Brad was the one who found Dan Zimmerman, who started Spokes Fighting Strokes. Brad was really moved by the work Dan was doing, and we wanted to help however we could, so that’s how Brad and I started a chapter of Spokes Fighting Strokes in Wisconsin. Dan is looking to set up chapters in every U.S. state. Each chapter is a community, and Dan can engage with each of these chapter communities as he travels the country for different events.
HB: What’s the Spokes Fighting Strokes mission?
KW: It’s about getting stroke survivors and people who’ve had a brain injury or experience ataxia – disorders that affect coordination, balance, and speech – exercising and on a path to greater health. It’s remarkable how much it helps to get us moving. A lot of what Spokes Fighting Strokes does is raise awareness about the benefits of movement and getting our lives back. The triking clinics and rides Spokes Fighting Strokes offer create access for people with mobility and balance challenges. We come together and support each other in our recovery.
Kristin and Brad at Cycle Con 2024
There are a lot of different trikes, and they can be customized for individual needs. When I was at Cycle-Con, I got fitted for my trike. I need the electric assist for my stroke abilities. I have a lot of pain and fatigue plus limited mobility. It was wonderful once I got on one. I rode almost 100 miles that weekend of Cycle-Con. I loved the trails in Ohio, seeing the scenery and being in the sun. Riding a trike is like being in touch with myself before my strokes – just to get out and be free – it’s amazing. Trying new trails is like going to an amusement park.
I lost all my independence when I had the strokes. I would love to be part of a community where I can commute on a trike for all my needs. I would have to live somewhere with warmer weather. My family is here in Wisconsin, but maybe we can live somewhere warm in the winter and come back to Wisconsin in the summers.
HB: It sounds like there’s more than weather that limits your ability to get out on trike. How do you access trails when it’s warm enough to pedal at home?
KW: Brad has a truck, and we just purchased a camper. Before we got the camper, we had a used Alpaca rack for the trikes that carried both of them. Dan had a connection and helped us find it. We drive to trails. I live out in the country – riding the bus isn’t practical. It’s also not safe to trike on the roads to reach trails. They’re gravel roads without bike lanes.
The Alpaca rack
The new hauling arrangement to accommodate the camper trailer.
The trails were part of what made riding in Ohio so much fun. They have the most miles of connected trails of any state in the nation.
HB: Is safety also part of the reason Spokes Fighting Strokes has rides?
KW: Recumbent trikes are much wider than a two-wheeled recumbent or upright bike and take up more space on the road. Even bike lanes put you close to vehicles. People aren’t necessarily looking for bikes on the road, much less trikes. Trikes are also lower to the ground than bicycles, and some are quite low to the ground. When there’s a bunch of us riding together, we’re easier to see.
HB: Do you ever encounter issues on the trails?
KW: You know, sometimes people say things judgmental. One person called out to us when we were pedaling on the trails, “Oh no fair, you’re cheating.” I think she was even riding a two-wheeled electric assist bike, and I thought, no, not really. The fact that we’re even out on trails feels like an accomplishment to celebrate. We’re out getting exercise and raising awareness. I wouldn’t be able to ride a two-wheeled bike.
HB: What are some of the benefits of adaptive cycling people might not know about?
KW: People forget, or maybe they don’t know, that being on a recumbent bike is comfortable, so you can even do longer distance than an upright, two-wheeled bike. Granted you can’t do the kinds of tricks you might be able to do on a BMX or mountain bike, but it’s still fun and makes cycling accessible to lots of people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to pedal for recreation or health. And for trikers who do want more of a mountain bike experience, there are adaptive mountain bike jump trails in Bentonville, Arkansas, in addition to doorstep to trailhead access that does not require driving.
Having our strokes was kind of like early retirement. We have the flexibility in our schedules to go somewhere for a month at a time and explore. Before my strokes, I wanted to see the world but never did. Now I’m doing it, but it looks a little different than I imagined.
Brad and Kristen, Spokes Fighting Strokes Wisconsin Chapter Leaders, in Iowa after a first cold night of their Spring 2025 road trip to Arizona.
HB: What kind of outdoor activities did you enjoy before the strokes?
KW: I was active getting out. I liked camping, hiking, and walking. I love the water. That was one of the things that devastated me after the strokes, not being able to get out on the water. But now triking gives me that sense of serenity.
During their Spring 2025 trip, Kristin and Brad visited Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona.
This southern Arizona park is the only place in the U.S. where the senita and organ pipe cactus grow wild.
HB: That’s wonderful. Raising awareness of the opportunities for stroke survivors to recover and get your lives back, what else would you like people to know about Spokes Fighting Strokes or the benefits of triking?
KW: Dan would like to see younger kids triking. People argue that young people don’t need trikes they can ride two-wheeled bikes. But trikes are safer. The risk of falling over like you might do on a two-wheeled bike is much lower.
As triking becomes more mainstream, it helps with the maintenance and development of facilities everywhere. More trails and paths would be wonderful. Most cycling facilities are designed for upright bikes, which can make accessing them on a trike challenging. Sometimes they’re not kept up or they’re overgrown in parts.
Triking on the roads is also a challenge. Trikes are wide. Do we take a lane or stay to the side of the road? What are drivers used to and what are they most comfortable with?
People say triking is expensive, but regular biking is expensive. Triking is expensive because it’s not popular.
Try a trike. Get on one. There are so many modifications that you can do to them to suit your unique needs and abilities, like hand cycling. As more people try triking, it reduces the judgment and helps trikes be more widely acceptable. People can also age into triking. At the point you need help pedaling, you can add an electric assist.
Arizona Spokes Fighting Strokes ride. Kristin Weiss is on the far left and Brad is to her right. Dan Zimmerman, Spokes Fighting Strokes founder, is on the recumbent on the far right.
There are many ways to support Spokes Fighting Strokes and the recovery and health of stroke and brain injury survivors.
Contact Spokes Fighting Strokes founder, Dan Zimmerman, about trike demos, presentations, rides, volunteering, and/or starting a chapter in your state.
