After a motorcycle accident left him in a coma eight years ago, Owen Bittner has done more than bounce back.

He's climbing up.

Bittner, 45, of Butler is preparing to climb Mount Washington, a 4,700-foot New Hampshire mountain with 7Z\x miles of road, on a bicycle in a race Aug. 1.

"This is more of a test for myself than a race against others," Bittner said. "You have to keep pushing when your legs are burning.

"When I first signed on for this, I wanted to ride it to survive it. Now I'm applying myself a little more," he added. "The pros can do this in an hour. If I can do it in under two hours, I'll be pleased."

Bittner and training partner John McLaughlin of Butler Township visited Blue Knob, near Altoona, four months ago and did a 6Z\x-mile bicycle climb there.

Bittner rode in the 100-mile Tour de Cure event at Seneca Valley High last month.

"He's a pretty determined guy," McLaughlin said. "He's been a tattoo artist his whole life. When you look at him, he's all inked up, serious tattoos all over his body.

"The cover looks kinda rough — but you don't judge a book by its cover. Owen is a genuine, down-to-earth person," McLaughlin added.

The two met at an organized bicycle ride less than two years ago and developed into training partners.

Bittner rode a bike regularly 15 years ago. He got serious about riding one earlier this year.

More than anything else, he's happy to be around to be serious about anything.

"I got run off the road by a truck while I was riding my motorcycle in 2002," Bittner said. "Last thing I remember was swerving off the road to miss him.

"I was in a coma for a while and had two brain operations."

Bittner still suffers from short-term memory loss and consistent headaches. His sinus cavity was crushed in the accident, plates were inserted in his face and he has a scar running down his face.

"I'm carrying around a few mementos from that day," he said.

McLaughlin said doctors wanted to "load him up with medications for life, make him a drug addict and put him on a shelf.

"Owen's never looked for a free ride in life. He wants to be self-sufficient. He's told me he was injured, not disabled," McLaughlin added.

While Bittner has returned to riding a motorcycle, riding a bicycle has provided a soothing feeling physically.

"When a person's in a car wreck, he gets back in a car again," Bittner said.

"But on a bicycle, the more I pedaled around, the better my head felt. It's odd, but when I ride, I feel better. And the day after a long ride, I feel stronger."

So Bittner decided to get into cycling in a big way. He had been averaging 175 to 200 miles a month before riding 820 miles last month.

"I registered for Mount Washington Feb. 1 and I've ridden 2,000 base miles on my bicycle since," he said.

Bittner ran a tattoo shop for years. Mental fatigue and concentration lapses since his accident forced him to give that up.

He's been working in remodeling and roofing. Bittner plans to go back to school "to work on my strengths.

"I'm having to reinvent my life a bit," he added. "I'm 5-foot-10 and weighed 265 pounds when I started seriously riding in February. Now I weigh 215. I guess I'm reinventing my body, too."