As Ben puts it, “Hard Things Are Hard… And It’s Okay”.
Ben Frederick takes those words to heart, and that concept sits at the core of The Small Monsters Project Foundation – a non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce the stigma around mental health challenges and to provide education and resources around concussion. Since its inception in 2021, Ben has been able to raise over $60,000 to support those in need.
In 2016, Ben had what seemed like a harmless crash, just like most of us have likely had too. That crash, however, would serve as a defining moment in Ben’s life, and an inflection point where in the blink of an eye, everything was stripped away and the dream of pro cycling was replaced with learning how to be a human again.
Ben sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury and went on to struggle with depression and anxiety which took root in an eating disorder that hospitalized him. The road to recovery and acceptance began when he could look the Monsters in the eye and learn to live with them. The first step is always the scariest, but with the help of friends, family and professionals, Ben learned to live with those monsters. To walk along side them. To have them in the open, not hidden away where they can grow and take hold.
Mosaic Cycles is beyond excited, and extremely proud to support The Small Monsters Project in 2024, as Ben embarks on a season of Elite Level off-road racing dedicated to raising funds for mental health awareness via The Small Monsters project. Ben will be outfitted with a fleet of Mosaic bikes, which he’ll ride at key races & events throughout the summer, saving the best for last in the Fall… Cyclocross. Ben will represent Mosaic in the Elite CX ranks at the USCX Series, Pan Am Championships, and the Christmas ‘Cross period of UCI races in Europe. As a former singlespeed cyclocross national champ, Ben’s got some serious cyclocross chops, and we’re fired up to watch him race on a Mosaic against the best in the world.
Stay tuned for a bike check or two coming soon!
