YES WE CAN

'Fatherhood, Endurance & Riding For What Matters'
Exclusive Interview with Brad Serot
Featured in 'Innerviews'
Hosted by Allié McGuire

​What began as one father’s ride for his daughter has become a movement powered by purpose, community and love. Inspired by Ava, his daughter who lives with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, Brad Serot founded Yes We Can Cycling to raise awareness and funds for children and families navigating disabilities and complex health needs. Now, with a team of more than 20 riders taking on SBT GRVL and a bold goal of reaching $3 million raised over six years, Brad is proving that endurance is not just measured in miles, but in meaning.

ALLIÉ: Let’s get started like this, shall we? Yes We Can Cycling began with Ava, your daughter, and with a father wanting to do something meaningful for children and families navigating realities like cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Before it became a team, a fundraising movement, or a grueling ride through Colorado, what was the very first moment when you realized, “I have to do something”?

BRAD: It’s a trick question, only because I didn’t have that feeling right away. I think first, as a parent with a child who has been impacted, you’re in denial. I was in denial for a period of time. Ava was around six years old. COVID was going on. I was going through a divorce. Up until that point, we hadn’t really talked about cerebral palsy or epilepsy. We hadn’t really gone to different organizations or tried to connect Ava with other families. We were sort of in our own little bubble.

When we started riding and cycling, one of my friends got me on a bike during COVID, and it really became very therapeutic for me. It was literally like this aha, light bulb moment when someone in our group signed us up for this big ride in Colorado called the Triple Bypass. I had no idea what it was, but it sounded really hard and really fun. I thought, “Let’s do it.” This light bulb went off where I thought maybe I could use this really hard ride as a way to raise money for charity.

That’s how, literally. I can’t really explain it other than that. It was what I needed in that exact moment. We’ve all had those experiences where something happens or an opportunity presents itself and we kind of grasp onto it. At that exact moment, it felt like this was something I needed to do.
 going on.

​ALLIÉ: Absolutely. So much of this mission is built on movement, but the heart of it feels deeply still. A father seeing his daughter clearly and wanting the world to see her clearly too. What has Ava taught you about strength that no finish line could ever teach you?

BRAD: She’s such a brave little girl. She’s silly and smart and hardworking and kind. I think you go through all these different emotions. I’m very close with all my kids, and Ava specifically has really taught me the motto in our house, which is, “We can.” There’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it.

That came from all the therapies that we do, the occupational therapy, the physical therapy, the speech therapy, behavioral therapy, and aqua therapy. She doesn’t want to do some of it. She just wants to be a kid. Some of it frustrates her. All of my kids have adopted it, so much so that they roll their eyes every time I say it. They’re like, “Gosh, Dad, we know. Yes, we can.” And I’m like, “That’s exactly right.”

I want this to be something they’ll never forget. It’s going to be so ingrained in them. She’s taught me a lot, and I’m just so proud of her.

ALLIÉ: You said, “If I can help one child, one family in this world, that’s a win.” That is such a simple sentence, but there is so much weight inside it. When you meet or hear from families who are touched by the organizations that Yes We Can supports, what part of their stories stays with you long after the ride is over?

BRAD: I’ve met so many different families along the way. Families that have received equipment or received therapy or received counseling or have gone to camp. Each one is just so impactful. It just is.

When you hear it directly from an individual, from a mother, from a sibling, that’s the stuff where you’re like, “That’s what it’s all about.” Up until this point, I’ve been heads down as a business professional in real estate, and that’s all good and fine. But what’s really made a difference in my life and our family’s life has been this chapter of giving back.

ALLIÉ: That’s where it’s at. There’s something powerful about choosing a hard road on purpose when so many families don’t get to choose the hard road they’re on. As you and the Yes We Can team take on SBT GRVL, what does it mean to turn voluntary struggle into visible support for those carrying challenges they never asked for?

BRAD: This is our voluntary suffering, for those who don’t have a choice in the same way. There’s something very powerful about overcoming a challenge as difficult as these rides are.

It’s really easy to be excited and come out of the gates hot. You’re super excited. There’s adrenaline going. Then, at the very end, people are cheering you on toward the finish line. But I call it the lonely time in between, when it’s just you and your bike. It usually starts around mile 40. Between there and mile 90, or whatever it is, it’s just you and your thoughts.

​Whether you replay all the people who said you couldn’t, or whether you think of the people you’re riding for, every rider has to have something that carries them through. For me, it’s not only my children, but all the other families and children that we’re riding to support. It’s this magical moment where I just think, “Yes, we can. One pedal. One more pedal. Yes, we can.” And I’ll say that probably a million times.

ALLIÉ: Let’s talk more about those words, “Yes, we can.” They are powerful because they don’t erase the hard parts. They stand right beside them. For every parent, caregiver, child, rider, donor, and stranger who needs to believe something difficult is possible, what do you hope this ride says to them?

BRAD: I hope it sends a message. As parents, we’re always trying to do the best we can to be a good role model for our children, for our friends, and maybe lift somebody up who is down. Again, it started off as just six scrappy dads riding a bike, and it turned into a lot more. You hope that maybe you can inspire. You hope that maybe you can show that anything is possible, that you can overcome challenges, that you can do really hard things, and that we’re all capable of really wonderful things, especially if we band together. That’s really where the magic is.

ALLIÉ: Yes, it’s that “we” statement. Yes, we can. I have to say, I’m working on a documentary right now called Because I Can, so when I saw Yes We Can, I thought, “This is very simpatico.” It is that hope that becomes infectious. And when it is with the intention of being of service, how fulfilling that is.
BRAD: Similar to what I have to assume you’re experiencing, it becomes a mindset. If you can change your mindset. Prior to this ride, and there’s this for all of us, we all get into dark places, whether it’s doubt for yourself or for others. Sometimes it’s all-consuming. It can be very negative and very all-consuming, thinking about all the things you won’t be able to do or that life isn’t fair. And it’s not. But if you just shift your mindset a little bit, and you start focusing on the things that you can do, and that Ava can do, and that others can do, and what is possible, then let’s go do that.

ALLIÉ: I love that, Brad. Thank you so much for sharing this chapter of your story. I’m excited for you and for the adventure that continues to go on and on, and for the wins you continue to get for so many, to support so many.

BRAD: Thank you. It’s funny how it just evolved. Like I said, it was just six scrappy guys, and now we have 21 riders. We have our first female rider, Isabelle, so I’m super excited about that. Everyone comes from a different place. One thing that has been interesting is that when you’re in this world, and I’ve never done a marathon or triathlon or anything in organized athletics other than sports in high school, everyone is a do-gooder. Everybody actually wants to help, and everybody wants to be involved. Sometimes they just need some redirection or a purpose set in front of them. People are ready to rally behind you. ∎

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Learn more about Yes We Can: www.yeswecancycling.org