RUSSELLVILLE Cycling advocates help foreign students, community

By Jeannie Stone

LITTLE ROCK — There was a time when Michelle and Bryon Moudy, owners of Highlander Cycling and Outdoors in Russellville, were unhealthy. But the dynamic duo is a competitive, wiry and philanthropic team now.

Bryon graduated from Arkansas Tech University and was a graduate student at the University of Arkansas when he was diagnosed with nonhodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. In a state of shock, he withdrew from school and regrouped.

He fought the cancer and endured a year and a half of treatments including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with the same cancer, caught at the same stage and fought the battle during the same time as Bryon. And his mirror struggle infused Bryon with the belief that he, too, could do whatever he put his mind to.

When Bryon had regained his strength, he located a job in a bike shop where he learned the craft. He later contracted with government and private agencies as a geographical information systems consultant, assessing the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and comparing those findings, such as water quality and habitat destruction, to the rest of the world.

The merging of his cycling and his passion for conservation issues propelled him and his wife, Michelle, to open the shop in 2004.

“After cancer, I didn’t care about anything else but living my life with passion,” Bryon said.

Through the shop, the Moudys, along with his parents, Roy and Linda Moudy, are able to promote the personal and environmental benefits of cycling to a diverse community, and a large contingent two blocks away, Arkansas Tech University.

Bryon has taught an introduction to mountain-biking class at the university for five years and started a cycling club two years ago based on the enthusiasm of cycling within the student body. Last year, Bryon initiated the ATU Cycling Team, which is the first collegiate cycling team in Arkansas.

“We are collecting sponsors, so we can compete in our fivestate conference,” he said.

Because of his relationship with the university, the administration approached Bryon when they were unable to house 300 of their foreign students on campus. Considering the lack of public transportation in Russellville, cycling was identified as a potential means to transport the students, who were assigned to various apartments and homes in surrounding neighborhoods, back and forth to school.

Bryon knew many of these students came from more bikeprogressive cultures, so he agreed to assist students with purchasing bikes at a discount and acclimate them to their adopted neighborhood. He rides with new students, teaching them the traffic laws and how to navigate in traffic and where to pay bills and buy groceries.

In an attempt to promote the endeavor, Bryon donated two bikes to the VISTA Place Apartments where many of theforeign students live.

Wilson Tay of Malaysia won one of the Electra bikes.

Tay has a cousin in Little Rock. “He can take care of me if I have a problem,” Tay said, but, otherwise, he is on his own. Although his apartment is only half a mile from the school, “riding a bike is easier than walking,” he said. “But, here, it is totally different. The roads are opposite.”

Highlander offers free service for life to all bikes purchased through the store.

“That way,” Bryon said, “when they graduate or transfer out of state, the bikes are still valuable and can be sold or recycled within the community unlike a lesser bike bought at a discount store, which is never serviced.”

Many times, customers takesuch bikes to the shop only to find they are not salvageable, so they leave them for junk. But Bryon repairs what he cans and, every year, donates restored bikes to Friendship Community Center, which assists children and adults with developmental disabilities.

“It’s all about sharing our resources and enabling everyone to ride,” he said.

Bryon has been a integral part of the cycling community in the River Valley and has promoted the Tour de Arkansas since it began four years ago. He has also served as the pro men’s mechanic, often riding alongside one of the cyclists at 40 miles per hour just to work on their bikes, because they didn’t want to make a service stop.

Bryon admits that he runsthe shop much like a nonprofit organization. He is working on two projects - the first is an ATU cycling internship and the second is the process of obtaining a nonprofit designation, so he can continue to spread the passion.

An orthopedic surgeon in town refers patients who have knee problems to Bryon.

“All of those patients are considering knee surgery but are willing to give cycling a try,” he said. “Fifty percent of those folks regain full use of their knees - without pain. I’ve seen a few even try running after recovery.”

Bryon credits his customizing methods to the successful rate of recovery. It is called body geometry, a combination of physical therapy and biomechanics. The couple have studied the science since 1995. They have earned certification as Fit Masters and are the only certified enthusiasts in the state, Bryon said.

He said the health potential of bike riding cannot be understated.

“I have seen, with my own eyes, a diabetic, who was on daily insulin, switched to pills, and now manages the illness through exercise and diet alone. Bicycling did that for him,” Bryon said.

“One of my customers went from 320 pounds to 180 pounds because of cycling. Even my wife lost a lot of weight when we met, because I introduced her to bike riding. She now competes in the top expert level.” Michelle said, “Yes, I was pretty chunky. Cycling allows you to feel better. It’s helped me to feel better anyway. I also like the fact you’re not increasing the greenhouse gases.”

Bryon confirmed that most of the most dedicated riders he sees are people who entered cycling simply to lose weight.

Bryon, who can’t compete beyond the beginner level because of lung damage due to his cancer, rides for the sheer joy of it.

“When I ride, I’m 5 years old again,” he said. “And if you’re smiling, you’re not stressing.”

River Valley Ozark, Pages 62, 65 on 09/04/2008