NEW YORK (BRAIN) — On President's Day weekend last year, the Goldmeier family got news that changed it forever.
Alex Goldmeier, then 24 and a recent college graduate, was found in the trees off a ski slope at New York's Hunter Mountain. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital with many serious injuries, including a T4 complete spinal cord injury. His father said it appeared Alex had skied into a tree at 55 mph. It began a long journey for Alex and his family.
Alex is the son of Steven Goldmeier, a quiet longtime force in the bike industry. Steven's father Larry founded Rand International, which by the 1980s was being run by Larry, Steven and his brother Allen. Rand imported bikes under various licensed brands, and bought the historic Ross Bicycle company in 1988. It also owned the Barracuda brand. (The Goldmeier's current company, Millenium Products Group, still owns the brands, and still sells bikes under the Ross name and others.)
After multiple surgeries in New York, Alex was airlifted to Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado, for months of rehabilitation that included a lot of outside activity. Alex's lower body remains paralyzed but he reached a notable milestone last this Sunday, when he completed the New York Marathon on a handcycle. He also skis, bikes offroad, plays tennis and participates in other sports thanks to adaptive technology and with the support of several programs, including the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and the High Fives Foundation.
As Alex was rehabilitating in Colorado, the NBC show George to the Rescue renovated the family's home in New York to create a new accessible and private space for Alex.
Besides his athletic endeavors, Alex is pursuing a doctorate in Psychology.
A conversation today with Steven Goldmeier is a bit like talking to the proud father of a newborn. He shares piles of photos of Alex's recovery activities and happy times with his siblings and other family members. Photos of Alex swimming, boating, skiing and hand cycling.
Steven Goldmeier said he's been enlightened by the entire adaptive sports community and would like to see the bike industry get more involved.
"There is a whole community of sports men and women who are inspired to get out there and ride bikes to their best of their newly changed ability. And they need bicycles: they need frames and chains and cables and everything else. I've seen how just getting one person participating can inspire so many more."
Related stories:
- Ross Bicycle history: It's a New York thing
- Ross family wants to bring back the bike brand. The brand's owner says it never went away.
Ross said he'd like to use the Ross brand on adaptive sports and related products. He's already received one patent related to wheelchairs. Goldmeier didn't mention it, but after World War II, Ross made wheelchairs and other wheeled items in New York, even before it starting making bikes.
"We are developing products for adaptive athletes, and we are discussing this with leaders in the bike industry," Goldmeier said. "We are looking at making wheel chairs and medical equipment under the Ross name as well," he said.
