Team Pryde
Will
Reynolds
Rider profile
Age: 32
Birthplace: Rochester, New York
Hometown: Bethesda, Maryland
Nationality: United States of America
Bike Size: 51
Bike:
- 9-16 Mar: Cycling Training Camp with USMES (Tucson, Arizona)
- 29 Mar (Tentative Date): Conquer the Canal (TT) with Wounded Warrior Bike Race Series (Chesapeake, VA)
- 30 Mar: Jefferson Cup (RR) with USMES (Charlottesville, VA)
- 12 Apr (Tentative Date): Chantilly (Crit) with Wounded Warrior Bike Race Series (Chantilly, VA)
- 26-27 Apr: Tour of Page County (RR) with USMES (Luray, VA)
- 2-16 May: Warrior Games (RR) with Army Team (Colorado Springs, CO)
- 26 May: Memorial Day Challenge Century with Ride 2 Recovery (Arlington, VA)
- 31 May (Tentative Date): Blackbeard (Crit) with Wounded Warrior Bike Race Series (Hampton, VA)
- 7 Jun: AF Cycling Classic (RR) with USMES (Arlington, VA)
- 14-15 Jun: Tour of Washington County (RR, TT), RR with USMES and TT with Wounded Warrior Bike Race Series (Boonsboro, MD)
- 21 Jun (Tentative Date): Church Creek (TT) with Wounded Warrior Bike Race Series (Cambridge, MD)
- 1-6 July: US Para Nationals (RR, TT, Crit) with Paralyzed Veteran Racing (Madison, Wisconsin)
- 11-13 Jul: Para World Cup #1 (RR, TT) with Paralyzed Veteran Racing (Spain)
- 26 Jul Shenandoah (TT) with Wounded Warrior Bike Race Series (Shenandoah, VA)
- 2 Aug: Bike to Beach Century (Baltimore, MD)
- 22-24 Aug: Para World Cup #2 (RR, TT) with Paralyzed Veteran Racing (Montreal, Quebec)
- 28 Aug- 1 Sep (Qualification dependent): Para World Championships (RR, TT) with Paralyzed Veteran Racing (Grenville, SC)
- 7 Sep: Lotoja Double Century (Logan, Utah)
- 7-14 Sep (TBD): Warrior Games (RR) with Army Team (Colorado Springs, CO)
- 27 Sep: Sea Gull Century with DC Velo (Salisbury, MD)
How would your friends describe you?
Extremely optimistic; fun loving; good attitude/ humble; endless energy; can't stay down for too long.
How did you start cycling?
I started my cycling career at the age of 12, as a young Boy Scout aspiring to earn the cycling merit badge. At the time, I was probably more enamoured with the 10-12 mile one way rides to ice cream shops during which troop leadership always observed I was the strongest rider out to the shop, but one of the weaker ones headed home on account of eating too much ice cream! Earning my cycling merit badge on my road to Eagle Scout, fueled my passion for cycling and I started participating in semi-annual cycling charity rides such as the Finger Lakes MS 150 that I did in my Junior year of high school, on a tandem with one of my Eagle Scout Classmates.
What is your special talent?
Adapting my body.
| 1) 1) Never a runner having been a collegiate gymnast, I trained myself to become one ultimately running sub-11 minute 2-miles and 3-hour marathons. |  |
| 2) After being near gravely wounded in Iraq on a combat deployment necessitating 2 dozen surgeries over 3 years of intense treatment and rehab, I re-entered endurance athletics with handcycling. I completed a 110 mile 2-day bike ride after training for just 3 months on a loaner handcycle and ultimately placed 3rd in the handcycle division of the Boston Marathon 2 years later. |   |
| 3) Having found a way to ride an upright bike with one-leg thanks to a Physical Therapist, I took the new challenge quickly getting up to 200 mile weeks. 1 year later I was a 2011 Race Across America (RAAM) 4-man team captain and official finisher. I am now aspiring to make the US Paralympic Cycling National Team. |  |
What does the TEAM PRYDE program mean to you?
Team PRYDE means taking my inspirational cycling mantra and message to the next level and being able to motivate an even broader population of cyclist. It is also humbling to gain the attention of a cycling manufacturer, after so many years of working closely with the mechanics of bikes to retrofit them for myself and mentor those who are doing the same for other disabilities or ailments.
Where would be your preferred place to ride?
My preferred place to ride is a small gem of a training secret in the Washington, D.C. area called Prince William Forest. It is a modest 8-mile loop, but not only is that loop 2-3 car lanes wide, free of all traffic and wonderfully paved, it features several 6-12% grade climbs making it a great, safe training venue. A fun place to go tune out, and get some hard training intervals in, under the shade of the forest in the summer.
What was your biggest success in cycling?
My biggest success in cycling to date would have to be inspiring others to start, re-start or keep cycling in whatever shape, or with whatever ailments they have. This is something I do silently on every ride I embark on with able-bodied cyclist and overtly as a ride leader and mentor with Walter Reed Bethesda Cycling, where I help acutely wounded, injured and ill service members start or continue their journey in adaptive cycling.
Does your family support your cycling addiction?
Absolutely! When I was getting back into cycling after being wounded, my wife came on half my handcycling training rides with me on her Mom's 10 year old, no-name mountain bike. She then held a 15 mph pace on that same bike with me on the 110 mile 2-day ride we did to kick off my adaptive cycling career 3 months later. Subsequently, she has not only supported all of the time training, inspiring and mentoring; but also all of the trips to the bike shops, which can be excessive and expensive when you're retrofitting bikes to ride them adaptively in a competitive fashion! She also as attended all of my races to date, nationally or internationally- sometimes with all 3-kids in tow by her lonesome just to see me wiz by a few times and listen to my talk the whole way there about equipment and strategy, and the whole way home about the next race and re-turning!
Wine or Beer?
These days with training, sadly not enough of either! When I do sip and indulge, definitely wine! White, light, crisp, fruity and refreshing—Gewürztraminers, Rieslings, and Moscatos.