Annijke Wade is a mountain biker who was finishing her third season of racing when a crash on a familiar trail left her permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Now, almost three months later, she talks to Payson about coming to terms with her life-altering injury. Shortly before the crash, Annijke became a certified mountain bike coach and founded BIPOC AF, an organization that seeks to make the cycling community more inclusive and accessible to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. 

In spite of her sudden change in circumstances, Annijke says that she found acceptance almost immediately. She attributes this mindset to her late grandfather and to her practice of non-attachment, a philosophy related to Buddhism. She joins Payson from Craig Hospital in Denver, a leading institute for spinal cord injuries, where she has been living for two months. She talks about the rigorous program there, why she calls it the “Hogwarts of spinal cord injuries,” and why she can’t wait to get back on a mountain bike. She also talks about how the accident has affected her relationship with her partner, and some of the changes she’ll have to adapt to when she leaves the hospital. 

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