HARDWICK – “Best Day Ever” tells the stories of Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi, adaptive mountain bikers who navigate the challenges of their disabilities, constantly challenging themselves to conquer new challenges, new trails and leave stereotypes behind.
photo by Paul Fixx
Durso and Bianchi are enchantingly charismatic with an enthusiastic approach to conquering adaptive mountain biking with equal parts dogged determination and humor.
Though they face their share of ableism, it is far exceeded by the support and community they find in their rural Vermont riding community.
The film showing on Juneteenth, seemed appropriate as the day recognizes another group that has been marginalized by polite society.
Hardwick Trails and Adaptive Sports Partners joined to host the showing in the Jeudevine Library’s Parker Ladd Room.
Adaptive Sports Partners held outdoor demonstrations of adaptive biking equipment in the afternoon before the film showing. Tricycles, recumbent bikes, tandem bikes, two-wheel bikes, balance bikes in child and adult sizes are available.
The film shows a realistic perspective of what being a disabled athlete can look like.
Stories of the individual riders are set in a story of developing the world’s first fully accessible trail network. Ground was broken on May 13, 2022, at Bolton Valley in Richmond, Vermont. Developing the trail network took three years with more than 200 people contributing over 5,000 hours to the project.
Visually stunning and emotionally powerful, “Best Day Ever” challenges perceptions of disability and celebrates community.
Development of the accessible trail network comes with seemingly impossible feats of athleticism that would challenge the most abled rider, as the new trails are tested.
“Divisions between people have been erased,” is just one of the many comments heard during the short, 48 minute film.
The first U.S. Open mountain bike race to include disabled riders at Killington was featured along with mention of Kingdom Trails in East Burke that now features 57 miles of accessible trails.
“It’s life-changing for people to be around peers,” noted Bianchi.
While there was more than a little gratuitous dropping of F-bombs, the tone of the film was generally light and touching.
Organizers asked those watching the film to take a moment for reflection after it and share comments about the film.
Green and blue wristbands were distributed with the word “Yet,” which Helen Beattie, who introduced the film, said would make more sense when it was explained after the film.
She said the wristband, with its word yet is about persevering when faced with moments of doubt.
While dreaming of the first accessible trail in Richmond a few years ago, it might have sounded like, “We don’t have an accessible trails network, YET!”
For Durso and Bianchi, it might have sounded like, “I can’t get out of bed by myself….YET.”
Beattie explained YET sparks hope, feeds perseverance, nurtures a belief in ourselves and our own personal power and helps us be able to do things that we never would have dreamed possible.
Beattie said the Hardwick Trails Committee’s gift of the bracelets was meant as a reminder to add the three simple letters, “YET,” to doubts one may have.
And it even glows in the dark in case those doubts come late at night, she said.
The film will be shown again at Stowe Cider, Friday, August 21. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the film will begin at 7 p.m. with a post-screening discussion featuring some of the people shown in the film.
To learn more about production of the film and find other showings visit bestdayever.mov.
Learn more about Adaptive Sports Partners offering programs in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and the North Country of New Hampshire at adaptivesportspartners.org.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
