SPORTS 'N SPOKES

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Cycle Mania

Tires were spinning as top handcyclists from around the country matched up in elite competitions.

Sports became a huge part of my life after my injury," says Leon Bostick of Bluffton, S.C. "It was the focus of all my energy. Handcycling became the perfect sport for me because it demands a lot of dedication and work."

Bostick traveled from his home in Northridge, Calif., to ride in the Clocktower Classic in Georgia, part of the U.S. Handcycling Series. Wearing a PVA cycling jersey, he recounted his personal journey from the time of his injury to the present. Reflecting on why he selected handcycling as his preferred sport, Bostick said it is a boost to his physical and mental well-being.

"When I became interested in participating in sports, I started with quad rugby," he says, noting, however, that the small hard wheels of his chair rolling on the street represented a challenge. "I'm a C4 quad, and my biggest physical limitation is breathing capacity."

Bostick finds a workout regimen of lifting weights and indoor rowing increases his strength and, therefore, gives him more power when cycling.

Bostick said racing provides him with a sense of belonging with his fellow athletes, who are truly high achievers.

For Carlos Moleda, whose career as a U.S. Navy SEAL was cut short during the operation in Nicaragua to capture Manuel Noriega, every race he enters is different, and that alters his training program. "I prepare for each race differently, because distances and course layout vary," he says.

Moleda has won five Ironman championships. Now he focuses on handcycling—but not all the time: "I have a year-round fitness program. You can't do handcycling all the time, because you would get bored and you would overwork certain muscle groups."

During the winter season, Moleda enjoys resistance training and swimming.

Bostick and Moleda are highly motivated, successful athletes, but they are also emblematic of PVA's mission—to provide opportunities for its members to pursue their goals as they improve the quality of their lives.

Riding for All

Since 2000, the U.S. Handcycling Series has maintained the ideal of "integrated racing" and includes athletes with and without disabilities at some of the biggest cycling events in the country. This year is no exception, and this season features some new events like the USA Cycling PRO Championships in Greenville, S.C., August 29-30, which will include handcycling for the first time.

Notably, the series' momentum has increased, thanks to USA Cyclings' endorsement and support. Last year, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)—the global governing body for cycling—took over management of Paralympic Cycling from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). This resulted in a mandate from UCI that national governing bodies—including USA Cycling—begin managing Paralympic cycling in their own countries.

To the organization's credit, USA Cycling immediately recognized the work already being done by U.S. Handcycling, U.S. Paralympics, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA).

"USA Cycling helped get the Clocktower Classic (Rome, Ga.) sanctioned as a UCI International Event, which really helped us establish more credibility for the series," said U.S. Handcycling Vice Chairperson Ann Hortman of the Greater Rome, Ga., Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In addition to seven national series events, the series has an expanded focus on regional ones this year as well.

"We are trying to develop a top-to-bottom feeder system to the U.S. Paralympic Team, and it starts at the local and regional levels, where new handcyclists can learn the ins and outs of racing," says U.S. Handcycling Board Member Clair Cahow, a CTRS (certified therapeutic recreation therapist) at Denver's Craig Hospital.

So far, the series has had ten regional events, including races in Napa, Calif.; Denver; Anchorage, Alaska; Clarksville, Tenn.; and Wichita, Kan.

The series has attracted the top American handcycling talent, including Paralympic gold and silver medalists, respectively, Oz Sanchez and Alejandro Albor, as well as the familiar Matt Updike, Todd Richardson, Scott McNeice, Monica Bascio, Joe Dowling, and Moleda.


Coverage includes the Redlands (Calif.) Bicycle Classic, the Clocktower Classic in Rome, Ga., and the Athens Twilight Criterium in Athens, Ga. For more information about the U.S. Handcycling Series, presented by Paralyzed Veterans Racing, visit www.ushandcycling.org or the PVA Fitness and Wellness program page, www.pva.org.

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