10-year-old Julian Roger from Bainbridge Island just completed his 4th bike ride from Seattle to Portland. At his young age, that distance alone is a huge accomplishment. But this wasn't his first long ride — or major challenge to overcome.
The sport of choice in the Roger house is obvious. "Just being out there, there's really nothing else."
On Saturday, Julian and his dad Jeffrey cycled 200 miles together in the STP, an annual bike ride from Seattle to Portland.
It all started when Jeffrey invited Julian along three years ago, thinking his then-7-year-old would only complete a few miles.
"He keeps going and going and we're like 40 miles, 50 miles. And I'm like, you want to call mom?" recalled Jeffrey. "And he's like: Dad, stop asking me that."
Saturday was Julian's fourth time biking the grueling STP. And like Julian's life, it wasn't without challenges. Julian has experienced high-frequency hearing loss since he was three. His mom Johanna says it hasn't been an easy road.
"That, as a parent, was just heart-wrenching. You would do anything to help your kids and not have to see them struggle," said Johanna.
For Julian, sounds blend together, which makes biking particularly tough because of wind and traffic noise. But when you ask Julian, the only choice is to face it head on, handlebars forward.
"It just won't get in my way because I don't let it get in my way," said Julian.
Not even when the last race got scary.
"It was coming down real fast and next thing I knew, I was on the ground," recalled Julian.
The victim of a hit-and-run, Julian broke his wrist in June during a long ride, but he didn't let that stop him. He doesn't let anything stop him.
"Hearing loss is a speed bump on the way to the beach. And we're still going to the beach," said his dad.
Because to Julian, overcoming is the only option. "Don't try, just do it. If you try, then you're not doing it," said Julian.
It makes crossing the finish line a little sweeter. "It feels like you're on top of the world!"
