From Pain to Power:My Life on Two Wheels
- Oct 1
- 3 min read
By Patty Mooney
When I was 14, my left knee gave out while I was walking down the stairs at my high school. I collapsed in front of a crowd of students. The physical pain was intense, but the humiliation stung more. A doctor recommended surgery. He scraped away the remaining cartilage in my knee, a decision that would accelerate the degenerative arthritis already taking hold.
I limped through my teens and twenties, doing my best to live a normal life while pain quietly became my companion. What I didn’t know then was that my path would one day lead to high mountain trails, to windswept ridges and rushing descents, to a life lived outdoors and in motion.
In 1986, I set out on a nine-month North American road trip with my partner, Mark Schulze. While browsing a sporting goods store in the Yukon, we noticed a neon-colored bicycle with fat knobby tires. “It’s called a mountain bike,” the clerk told us. That moment lit a spark. When we returned to San Diego in time for Christmas, we gifted each other mountain bikes. That was the beginning of our mountain biking life.
The trails became my sanctuary. Riding turned out to be the best thing I could do for my knee. The circular motion strengthened the surrounding muscles and preserved what function remained. Mark and I combined our creative talents with our love of adventure and began producing the world’s first instructional mountain biking videos. I not only co-produced the series and wrote the scripts, I also starred in three out of the four films. It was a groundbreaking experience that helped bring the sport to a wider audience. We also entered races and won. I felt strong, alive, and free.
But the damage was real. In my forties, the pain reached a tipping point. My knee x-rays were so severe that the orthopedic surgeon asked if he could use them in a PowerPoint presentation at a medical conference. I underwent my first Total Knee Replacement, a major surgery and a humbling reset. After a few years, my right knee began to deteriorate as well. Another surgery followed. Now I live with two titanium knees.
Some people assumed my biking days were over. They were not.
In 2023, at the age of 68, I entered the grueling 20-mile Sagebrush Safari mountain bike race. It is no gentle ride. It is a test of strength, endurance, and focus. I trained with care, listened to my body, and crossed the finish line first in my age group. In 2024, I returned and won again at age 69.
What does it mean to be unstoppable? When I was younger, I thought it meant forcing my way through everything. Now I know it means something else. It means respecting your body while refusing to be ruled by limitation. It means showing up, even when you’re scared. It means allowing the pain to shape you, but never define you.
If I could speak to that 14-year-old girl who fell on the stairs, I would say, “You are not broken. You are becoming. That pain you feel will become part of your story, but not the end of it. One day, you will ride through forests, across deserts, and up mountains. You will feel joy again, and you will triumph.”
Mountain biking didn’t just give me strength. It gave me back my spirit. Every ride is a reminder that I didn’t just survive. I soared.
And I’m still riding. Most days, I’m the only woman in a pack of male athletes, who look at me with amazement and respect. They’ve seen what I can do. And I’m just getting started.
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