Nathan Paustian received his first tryke in 2016 at the age of 4, from Mississippi Bend Trykes, a local chapter of AMBUCS in Iowa. It was only the 8th tryke they’d ever presented to a child. Nathan has cerebral palsy and relies on a gait trainer or power wheelchair for mobility. He and his family live in a small town in Iowa and he’s able to cruise the neighborhood to visit family and friends with his Tryke. He received his second Tryke at the age of 7 and is still riding it. He’s been in local parades with our local AMBUCS chapter, and has raced in the Quad Cities Criterium Koehler Electric Kids Race for many years.
The Tryke has made participation in these community events possible. Nathan’s entire family are huge Green Bay Packer Fans, and he’s taken his Tryke to participate in the Dream Drive for several years at the Packers training camp. Thousands of kids bring their bikes to training camp and the players each choose a kid to ride on their bike with them, or walk alongside them. Nathan brings his Tryke and has been chosen 3 years in a row to ride along with famous football players.
Here’s a link to background info on the Green Bay Packers Dream Drive:https://upnorthnewswi.com/2024/07/18/when-why-the-packers-started-riding-kids-bikes-to-training-camp/
And here is a link to info about the Criterium bike race, a big community event: http://www.quadcitiescriterium.com/