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Bike ride aids research
By Blair Anthony Robertson - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:44 am PDT Saturday, June 23, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B2
When 25-year-old Kyle Bryant completed his bike ride from San Diego to Memphis in late March, the National Ataxia Foundation created a $100,000 research grant in his name.
Bryant, an environmental engineer from Sacramento, has Friedreich's ataxia, a rare and fatal disease that gradually attacks muscle coordination and speech.
The foundation announced Monday the grant will go to Australian researchers and their British collaborators who are working on a possible cure.
The researchers will study the effect of a catalytic nitroxide antioxidant that has shown promise in correcting "neurobehavioral function" in mice, according to a statement released by the foundation.
Bryant, who hopes to organize another major ride next year, said he was pleased his cross-country journey continues to inspire hope for a cure.
"It's pretty exciting. I personally try not to have false hope. When there's a breakthrough, then I can get excited," he said.
Bryant used a three-wheeled bike because the disease affects his balance and coordination to an extent that riding a traditional bike would be too dangerous.
During the two-month trip, Bryant experienced 30 to 40 flat tires and often excruciating pain in his knee, but he refused to quit until he arrived in Memphis for the national Friedreich's ataxia convention.
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