COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — An 8-year-old Colorado Springs boy who lost 80% of his vision at age 5 is now conquering mountain bike trails thanks to a Colorado Springs nonprofit that makes cycling accessible to children from all backgrounds.
Celdiano Travis, who goes by Cel, rides mountain bikes with the confidence of someone twice his age despite battling significant vision loss. His transformation came through Kids on Bikes, a community-focused organization that has been empowering local youth since 2005.
"He turned 5 and his vision was kind of slowly getting worse and worse," said Cel's mother, Christiana Fanaro. "In April, before that summer for kids on bikes, he woke up one morning, and he had lost 80% of his ability to fuse an image."
The vision loss didn't stop Cel from pursuing his two greatest passions.
"He somehow continued riding bikes and reading. That's all he's ever really wanted to do is read and ride bikes," Fanaro said.
Kids on Bikes operates as both a bike shop and service center, using bicycles as tools to inspire children to get outside and stay active. The organization serves more than 2,000 kids annually through classes and gifts bikes to more than 300 children each year.
"We really just use the bicycle as a tool to inspire kids to get outside and be healthy and active," said Aspen Saen, the organization's event and development coordinator.
Cel received support through the organization's scholarship program and works with coach Kip, who helps young cyclists develop their skills on challenging terrain like the Chutes Trail off Gold Camp Road.
"Where this organization started was the idea that bikes are awesome. They're a great way to be healthy, transportation, freedom, but not everyone has easy access to a bike," Kip said.
Cell's eyesight has since improved, and so has his outlook on life. Last summer, he participated in an art show where the theme was "passion and purpose."
"He chose he wanted to paint himself riding his bike because that's his passion and purpose," Fanaro explained.
The young cyclist now has his sights set on giving back to the organization that changed his life.
"I hope to be a coach for kids on bikes," Cel said.
Cel included a description of his artwork:
"I have a sense of purpose in mountain biking because it is bigger than me! The trails and the natural world is bigger than me. It makes me feel happy because it feels never ending. It feels magical to ride my bike out there. I smell the trees, I hear the creeks or rivers babbling through some areas, or the wind whistling through the tops of the trees. It feels like wind pushing on me. I feel fast and free. I don't feel sad or angry or stuff like that. When I'm mountain biking, my heavy feelings go away. It really helps me get some movement in my body and I get exercise in it. When I exercise, it makes me stronger. I feel like a hero when I get through hard biking- like rock obstacles or big huge uphills. Riding my mountain bike makes me believe in myself. This is why I'm passionate about it!"
His mother sees the deeper impact the program has had on their family.
"It's just this amazing passion for it's not just riding bikes, but it's a community of people. And I really do think that it's something that is, I don't know, I wouldn't replace it with anything else," Fanaro added.
The Scripps Howard Fund recently donated $1,000 to Kids on Bikes to help continue their mission of making cycling accessible to children throughout the Colorado Springs community.
"You can remember the joy and freedom of riding a bike as a kid yourself,” Executive Director for Kids on Bikes Daniel Byrd said. "The more frequently we can get kids out on their own, the better their health will be.”
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
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