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Brad Serot turned cycling, grief, and a family motto into a force for disability communities across America
Brad Serot had never ridden a road bike before. It was the height of COVID lockdowns, he was going through a divorce, and he was trying to find his footing as a single father of four. A friend introduced him to cycling, and something clicked. “It was just this amazing moment where a group of friends bonded in a way that felt really important,” he recalls. What started as a personal outlet would grow into one of the most remarkable grassroots fundraising stories in the disability community.
That same friend signed Brad up for the Triple Bypass, a legendary one-day ride through Colorado that climbs three mountain passes, covers 118 miles, and is done entirely at altitude. “I didn’t know what it was or what it entailed,” Brad admits with a laugh. “And it turns out it’s this crazy ride.” He decided to go for it. More than that, he decided to use it for something bigger.
Brad’s daughter Ava, one of his four children, has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Until that first ride, he had never spoken about Ava publicly, never raised money for charity, and never shared her story outside the family. The Triple Bypass became the catalyst to change all of that. Thirty days before the ride, he sent a single email to family, friends, and clients. Their goal was $20,000. Within 24 hours, they had raised $50,000. Within 48 hours, $100,000. By the end of 28 days, the total stood at $367,000.
“We knew something was there, this magical moment,” Brad says. Five years on, Yes We Can Cycling has raised over $2.4 million for three charities: the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley in Villa Park, Illinois, and the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago.
A family motto that became a mission
The name Yes We Can Cycling was born inside the Serot household. Brad didn’t have to look far for a name; it was already echoing through his house every day. Ava attends physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and aqua therapy, and like any child, she doesn’t always want to go. The sessions are demanding so, the Serot household adopted a mantra. “The saying is, and they roll their eyes every time I say it, ‘yes we can,’” Brad says. It applies to all four of his children now, not just Ava. When he needed a name for the cycling initiative, the answer was already on the wall.
Parenting is at the heart of everything Brad does. “When you have a child with special needs, you feel helpless at times,” he says. “This is really something where I feel like I can make a difference. I can give back.” He is also deliberate about what he is modelling for his children. “Showing all of my kids how important it is to give back, that’s definitely at the forefront of what we do, and it’s become part of what we’re about as a family.”
From six to twenty-one riders
Yes We Can Cycling began with six friends, including Brad. This year, the team has 21 riders. They are spread across Chicago, Colorado, Indiana, and beyond, and stay connected through virtual rides on the training app Zwift, regular group communications about gear and training schedules, and a shared sense of purpose. “I forced this fundraiser on my friends,” Brad jokes, “but it gave them a little bit of purpose to something we were planning on doing anyway. Everyone leaned in and embraced it.”
The riders are not professionals. They are avid cyclists who, when they hear about the cause, respond with an immediate yes. Some have a personal connection: a son with epilepsy, a sibling with cerebral palsy, a childhood friend who had a disability. Others simply want to redirect their energy toward something meaningful. “There are so many do-gooders out there,” Brad says. “They’re all really driven individuals, men and women, who want to help.”
What carries Brad through the mountains
Anyone who has ridden 100-plus miles through mountain terrain knows that the hardest part is not the beginning or the end. It is the long, silent stretch in between. “It’s the lonely time in between where all you have are you and your thoughts,” Brad says. “You really do need to figure out what you’re made of. Is there a mantra? Are you riding for an individual, a group, a reason?”
For Brad, the answer is always his children. All of them, and everyone out there who cannot ride for themselves. Each rider on the team carries their own reason, their own internal anchor that pulls them through the altitude and the miles.
From donations to difference
The funds raised are distributed across the three partner charities, each meeting distinct needs. Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley provides comprehensive pediatric therapy services for children and support for their families. The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago sends children to camp and delivers support groups, case management, education, and mental health counseling to people living with the challenges epilepsy at no cost. The Cerebral Palsy Foundation advocates for federal research funding for cerebral palsy, in addition to transforming care, family education, and improving treatment protocols. Brad is clear that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to disability. “My daughter presents very differently from what somebody else would,” he explains. “Everyone is impacted uniquely and will need different specific equipment, different therapies, different support, whether it’s mental or physical. That’s where all these organizations come in and fill the gap.”
A moment that stopped him in his tracks
In the first year of fundraising, Brad visited Easterseals for the first time. He had been raising money for the organisation without ever having walked through their doors. A mother and her daughter, who uses a wheelchair, approached him. They had been following him on social media. They told him that because of Yes We Can Cycling, Easterseals had been able to acquire a vibration plate and a special standing frame for their daughter’s therapy.
“We all cried for a minute and hugged,” Brad says quietly. “It was this beautiful moment. But that’s why we do it.”
That relationship with Easterseals has only deepened over time. On Saturday, April 18, 2026, Brad was honored at Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley’s annual Gala, a recognition of the impact Yes We Can Cycling has had on the organisation and the families it serves.
The unexpected gift of sharing
Brad describes his life before Yes We Can Cycling as very business-oriented. Opening up about Ava, sharing her story, connecting with other families, that was not something he had anticipated would become so central to who he is. “I didn’t know how fulfilling it would be,” he says. “The more I share, others share back in return. It’s something I hadn’t really experienced in my life before. It’s been a whole new chapter.”
A message to parents who are just starting out
When asked what he would say to a parent who has just received a life-changing diagnosis for their child, Brad is thoughtful. He remembers the shock. He remembers feeling floored. “I understand how you feel,” he says. “But I can tell you that there’s a community out there and you are not alone. It takes a second to ask for help, but help is around the corner, and there’s a lot of love and friendship right around you.” Yes We Can Cycling continues to grow. Brad speaks of a “long runway” ahead, more riders, more families reached, more lives changed.
Bold new target in 2026
Now in its sixth year, the 21-rider team has set a bold new target to raise $600,000 in 2026, which would bring its total fundraising to $3 million. Each mile they take on, in both training and on race day, is ridden in honour of someone who drives them forward: a child, a loved one or a friend.
To support that purpose and carry them through the demands of training and competition, the team has introduced its 2026 motivational campaign, “Yes, I Ride For.” The initiative invites donors, supporters and charitable partners to take part by sharing who they want the team to ride for, whether a family member, a friend or, more broadly, children with disabilities, cerebral palsy and epilepsy. In doing so, every mile becomes a personal expression of meaning and connection.
“Every ride we do is bigger than us,” said Brad. “I ride for my daughter Ava. Our team rides so more families can say ‘yes’ to quality care, expanded opportunities and everyday kid experiences that should be available to all children who need the extra support.”
The motto that began on Ava’s worst therapy days has become the heartbeat of something much larger. Yes We Can!