A change in roles

9.28.08

5 years ago I sat in a conference room at the OTC amazed at just being there.
It was during a developmental camp that I attended.
This past weekend I was at that camp again but not with the wide-eyed, open mouth expression
that I remember having. This time I had a new role, that of a paralympic veteran.

For years now, Former Paralympic Cyclist Pam Fernandez has used these Developmental camps to introduce disabled athletes to the Paralympic Movement . The camp is based at the Colo. Springs OTC and offers the athlete the chance to live among the best of the best and train in that fashion. Training rides are accompanied by a support vehicle and led by elite level coaches. For myself, this camp gave me a taste of what it's like to be a pro athlete. Many of my current teammates had their start at Pam's camp.
Many of the riders asked about the training and the level of competition we face internationally. Everyone seemed impressed by the facility and the excited about the possibility of joining the team. I stressed that even though the Elite Team receives many perks it only comes after lots of hard work. I spoke about how excited I was but also how "green" I was when I attended the this camp. How race training goes from riding hard to nearly a science. Most of the guys were unfazed bye my horror stories of training in the snow and cold. I think it only made them want to get out and ride that much more.
This morning I said goodbye to maybe a few of my future teammates.

9.26.08
Before watching the Olympic Games on TV a month and a half ago one of my main visual stereotypes of China was that everyone rode Bikes. That was one aspect of Chinese Culture that I was hoping to see first hand. Personally, I'd love to see our country depend more on the bicycle in our daily lives.
With so many people living in Beijing, Cars populated the streets even with a Driving restriction. But I did see that a large portion of Beijing rode bikes. Most rodes offered a full sized bike lane which often had as many people pedaling as the motorized lanes had driving.
While there I saw bikes of every shape & size, used for reasons I never though possible.
These are images that I'm guessing would not be found in our
city streets.

9.24.08
The Olympic/Paralympic Village impressed everyone. It's essentially a gated community
consisting of 6-8 story condos in the heart of Beijing. The location in proximity to the venues and downtown made it convenient in a logistics point of view. The landscaping and general layout of the living area stunned myself and I'm sure everyone else.
It was a beautiful place to live for 3 weeks. The village was broken up in three parts-
The Living Area
The Dining Hall
The International Zone

The Int. Zone was a place to shop, gather info on anything China or Paralympics, and to grab a quick and free haircut.
The housing was not only where we slept but wear the
different nations would display 3 story tall Flags.
The Dining Halls was the hub. Everyone spent a lot of time sitting around eating and mingling. The food was great. The people watching was even better

On the bike in Beijing.

Here's a few shots of yours truly dawning the Stars and Stripes while on foreign soil.
Some show the pleasure and some show the pain.

It's good to be home!

9.20.08

It truly was an experience of a lifetime. Much more so than I ever thought it would be.
But three weeks away from home no matter what your doing is a long time.
I'm happy to be back.
The flight was obviously long but the mood was upbeat. There was members of three different
US teams on board and the conversations throughout the plane was on the Games.
The Captain announced to all the passengers that us Paralympians were on board which
sparked a round of applause. It was a nice way to return home!
After saying goodbye to my teammates, Pamela and I headed home.
Tomorrow, I return to work but in a new position. The daily grind will begin again.
I'm still glad to back home.

- in the next few days I'll be posting the photographs that I was unable make public during the
event.

Chinese media.

Just found this article after a general search for press releases.
I barely remember speaking with the Chinese Press. The press area
was set up so the riders passed through moments after their race.
I was gassed then and suprised now to have China Daily write the article.
I guess finishing last has at least one perk.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/paralympics/2008-09/10/content_7014817.htm

It's Over!

9.13.08



Since 2003 these past couple of weeks have been the reason for everything I did everyday

of the year. Even on my "day's off" or "off-season" the Games were a focus.

Now that my last race is in the books I can breathe and maybe even drink.



A lot of people have asked me what it took to get here and were all the sacrifices worth it.

Just walking around waving at a fellow cyclist who just happens to live in S. Africa makes all those days in the pissing rain vomiting on myself, by myself just fade away.

The lifestyles that everyone needs to adopt to make it here are ones we all share. Knowing that similarity creates a relationship that goes beyond the geographical, political and whatever other barriers that typically seperate people.

While writing this blog over the past two month's I've tried to explain what I do, how I do it and why I would do such a painful thing. The common thread to all of my entries - to me at least is a desire to improve myself.

I've used this as a personal Mantra for years now.

"compare yourself to your own potential"

Racing and competing is great, winning and losing is the sweet and sour but what really drives me is reaching for what I think is my potential. The bike is part of it. The drive, determination and plain honesty with myself are traits that have only really surfaced since getting on the bike.

The great thing with striving for you potential is that it's boundless! Only the cages that you and I create within ourselves can limit that.

I've always used that philosophy to keep at it. Many days I doubted my abilities and allowed results and performances to dominate my emotions. But here in China I've seen the best in people - People who want it and who truely reach for it.