Castle Rock veteran rides Soldier Ride 250 despite losing his sight

Rain soaked Zach Tidwell’s clothes as a police escort rolled him out of Washington, D.C., but the Castle Rock Marine Corps veteran kept pedaling through Soldier Ride 250 without eyesight. For Douglas County, his ride turned a national anniversary tribute into a local example of how adaptive sports and veteran recovery can intersect.

Soldier Ride 250 is a 1,000-mile cycling initiative organized by Wounded Warrior Project to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026. One account said the ride launched from Jacksonville, Florida, with about 80 participants, while another said the final 250-mile stretch ran from Washington, D.C., to New York City and began May 14 with about 20 veterans taking part. Army veteran James Bauer was among them.

Tidwell, one of three Colorado veterans in the wider Soldier Ride effort, described the experience as “a whirlwind of experiences.” He said the ride included days of rain and the unusual sight of riding out of the nation’s capital under police escort, a setting that underscored how public the event was and how much attention it brought to veterans adapting to life after major injury.

His presence in the ride carried added weight because his recovery has been marked by profound loss. Tidwell was severely injured in a suicide attempt on March 31, 2019, and survived blind. The ride put that history in motion, showing a veteran who lost his sight still covering long miles with other riders and still claiming a place in a national celebration.

Tidwell was also honored as FOX31’s Serving Those Who Serve Hero of the Month in May 2026, another sign that his story has resonated well beyond the cycling route. For other injured veterans in Douglas County, the bigger lesson is not just that one rider completed a demanding course. It is that recovery often depends on a network of peers and services that can carry a person beyond the finish line.

Wounded Warrior Project says Soldier Ride is one of the programs it uses to support warriors’ physical wellness, mental wellness, financial readiness and access to VA benefits. Tidwell’s ride showed what that support can look like when it is translated into motion: veteran to veteran, mile after mile, with no sight but plenty of forward drive.