Cycling with disability or limb amputation

forgot about this thread

there was a point at which i might have lost my lower leg, thankfully that has not happened. there was also a concrn of a thing called foot-drop, where the foot can not even be lifted up. again luckily i seem to be avoiding this.

right now the advice is i am likely to lose some mobility in my foot/ankle, there will be reduced sensation in the entire lower leg and the affected muscles are likely to be prone to fatigue

but while assessing any of the outcomes listed above it became clear that none of them would be entirely novel to the world of cycling or actually insurmountable

must say that the ride from kew to fulham today, though totally exhausting and quite painful left me really fucking grateful

So no recumbent for you, James?

Will you be able to ride fixed or prefer to coast?

coasting for the moment, jarring forces hurt a lot right now

will be riding 29ers for a bit, until the leg is less painful

will need a lot more strength in my right leg before i can ride fixed, will probably need swap side for predominant skip/skid stopping as well

At least you've got Speedplay pedals. It must be horrible - clipping in and out, no?

^^Why not just use a brake?

James, would you like to borrow my 11 speed utility bike for the moment?

was surprised at how easy clipping in and out of the time atacs was today

had put flat pedals on my beater ss 29er yesterday, cycling yesterday helped me increase the range of motion in my foot by about 20% in my first 10 minute excursion

I must say loated using the flat pedals, I need to get my ankle moving so actually being attached to the pedals helps with this

today i took my lynskey 29er for a test ride (having built it up yesterday as an incentive to get back to cycling) and used the time atacs and they were fine, so i left them on for the 5 mile ride to the physio in fulham

physio was quite amazed that i had cycled so far

think i will go back to the atacs on the beater 29er, my plan is to start cycling part of my way to work this week and then catch a tube, increasing the amount of cycling incrementally

the relief to actually be cycling again was huge - even if my future abilities will be somewhat limited it was amazing to get back onto a bike

scarlet, the serotta is not drilled for a rear brake, also at the moment i have very limited upward pull on my right foot, so even leg resistance is going to be difficult for slowing - but this hopefully will increase with time

2 't's.

I meant a front brake. TBH, I've never done much leg breaking, other than on the track; only ever soft-pedalling & front brake with a fixed drivetrain.

Already have a front brake on the Serotta.

Will also need to put quite a soft gearing onto the fixie (not able to) skidder.

You'll be teenslainin' next.

^ the challenge has been set - must cycle more - next would be polo and posting "get a life dorks"

Amazing to read this.

I'm amazed by the amputee cyclists. It's massively impressive how they adapt so well. Prancer too! Keep at it sir.

I don't get to cycle as much as I'd like because of the back condition/surgeries that I've had - I only even learned to ride about 3 years ago as I wasn't allowed to as a "disabled" child. I was told it wouldn't be possible for me. What a load of crap! Bluequinn bought me a little Moulton Midi and I learnt to ride in Vicky Park and did a couple of Skyrides on it.

My main issue now is that I've had a spinal fusion from T1-L4 so I only have L5 (the bottom lumbar vertebra) left that can still move and the two remaining discs either side of it take all the stress so cycling for any sort of distance pummels the hell out of them, causes them to squash down, trap nerves and cause numbness/pain/temporary foot drop in one or both legs. Annoyingly this happened on the Tweed Run last year and eventually caused me to have to stop and push the bike just a mile from the end. I think I could probably help prevent this from happening so quickly by building my core stability muscles up so they act as a sort of "internal corset" and support things more.

Another issue is that I have a conective tissue disorder that causes joint hypermobility, and riding leaning on my wrists bloody kills after a while. I may see if I can get wrist braces made specially to help with this; I've already had some made to specifically help with painting and playing musical instruments, so I don't see why not.

The combination of these probs means that it's much more comfortable to ride sitting bolt upright on my Dutch bike (the Bobbin), but that's sooooo heavy and I struggle with the weight when I have to keep stopping and starting quickly, as in traffic. BQ has built me a fab single speed which is a lot lighter and I feel so much more in control of, even though my weight is on my wrists.

Summer 2009 I was cycling in Belgium along the Tour of Flanders route when someone in full Norwegian national team kit whipped past at a frightening speed (20mph+). So far, so normal along this route. Only then did I notice that the entire lower part of his right leg below the knee was made from carbon fibre and had an SPD attached to the bottom!

So don't let anyone tell you that you can't cycle fast with only one full leg :)

og de souza isn't a cyclist, but a huge inspiration nonetheless

so amazing!

YouTube - Og De Souza 411VM Profile

I have just written this article to go on our 100 TT start sheet. I think it is relevant here. Mal Rees was a well known West London bike shop owner with a sideline in cycling journalism - I think he was pretty good at both callings. There are still a few frames around bearing his name.

Why is the Hounslow 100 known as the Ron Brown Memorial ?

Ron died in an unexplained cycling accident in 1968 but he is still remembered vividly by those who knew and rode with him. Since there now remain only a diminishing number of these contemporaries who knew him in the flesh it is time for a reminder of the man.

It must be said at some point that Ron only had one arm. He himself would not have wished this to be mentioned prominently since he succeeded in ignoring his disability and was always insistent that no allowance should be made for it. However we lesser mortals could not help but notice and wonder.

Although he made cycling the centre of his life he had a career in the engineering trade, again ignoring the absent right arm. His employers included Park Ward, the Rolls Royce coachbuilders and Gillot’s (the famous South London shop and frame builder). It is said he could assemble a bike quicker with his one hand than most can with two.

His philosophy of training went along the traditional lines of ‘every mile pays a dividend’. Most of the who knew him as young riders who are still in the game today remember following his wheel into an oblivion of fatigue. Not scientific perhaps, but it seems to have had a beneficial hardening and tempering effect since they are still riding today.

Here is Mal Rees’ obituary, published in Cycling 22nd June 1968.

‘Ron was the most popular star of his generation and remained at the top throughout his long career.
He came to fame with the Calleva Road Club in the war years being especially notable for his rides at 12 hours, winning the South Western “12” in 1945 and placed frequently.
He was 8th in the first ever RTTC championship 100 (Bath Road) in 1944 with 4.37.18 (won by Arch Harding, 4.28.12) and was in the winning Calleva BAR team of 1946.
This season he had succeeded in getting inside the hour at 25 miles (59.48, Basildon) a terrific ride for a man of 48 and a feat still exceptional for any veteran (40 and over)
His manifold championships and wins, remarkable as they were, did not entirely account for the great esteem in which he was held by clubfolk over 30 years.
The perfect gentleman always, he took pains to ensure that his armless handicap was not taken into account or high lighted ever.
He stressed that, having lost his arm as a child of four before learning to ride he could see nothing remarkable in the fact.
The most marvellous bike handler in traffic, he could “honk” a hill better than most and rode kermesses during the war years.
He insisted that journalists and photographers should not pin point his physical deficiency nor make news of it.
The sport has lost one of its greatest sons, the like of whom we shall never see again.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hand-Built-Lightweight-Racing-Touring-Trike-/140738899698?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item20c4b12ef2#ht_892wt_1413

There is a lad from round my way with a malformed hand, not quite as severe as amputation I admit, but nonetheless he manages to be one of the best trials bikers I have seen for a fair old while. The shop I work at has had to customise a few bicycles for people with amputations, one springs to mind where we had a single brake lever operating both brakes via a gyro cable I seem to recall? There is also a professional BMXer who only has one leg, his prosthetic is attached to the pedal. It is truly amazing what can be done!

Will

Passed a guy on the bike at IM China a few years ago with one arm.

Only a bit later did I think - fucker beat me out of the swim.

I've seen video of a track cyclist with a leg AND an arm gone, both on same side, but still mashing round a track like a boss. I think he's in the UK too, amazing!

Theres a young lad (20s) who rides relentlessly around here (goes past my work at least twice a day) who has both legs removed above the knee. He rides a custom recumbent on the main roads pretty much all the time, wind/ rain/ snow, hes always out there, again, amazing!

A lot of emphasis on this thread on performance cycling, but missing limbs don't preclude elegance too:

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