Facilitators of adapted mountain biking participation for people living with a spinal cord injury: Exploring participants' lived experiences.

PURPOSE/

OBJECTIVE

This study's aim was to describe adapted mountain biking facilitators based on the lived experiences of people with a spinal cord injury.

METHOD/

DESIGN

Participants in this study live with a spinal cord injury and actively participate in adapted mountain biking. Each participant was interviewed online in a one-on-one semistructured format. Transcribed interviews were coded and analyzed using NVivo software, following descriptive phenomenology's Colaizzi method.

RESULTS

Ten participants (9 male, 1 female) described their experiences with facilitators of adapted mountain biking, which were conceptualized into the following themes: motivation, human connection, personal facilitators, organizational facilitators, and accessible physical environments.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Although distinct themes arose from the data, the facilitators that participants described, such as accessible trail infrastructure, access to resources, and being a part of social groups for adapted mountain biking, operate together to help make adapted mountain biking participation more accessible to people with a spinal cord injury. Despite the presence of these facilitators described by participants, there are still existing sociocultural barriers and not enough efforts to enable participation, which limits the inclusivity of the sport for current and future adapted mountain bikers. Collaboration with policymakers, park management departments, and other stakeholders is essential for implementing the recommended facilitators into practice. Furthermore, there is a need for additional research to understand how facilitators affect individuals on a broader and more in-depth scale, to help grow participation in adapted mountain biking for more people living with a spinal cord injury. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).