SAVONA to CERVERE

Afternoon event of 121 km for the racers meant a relaxed ride for me . On the way to the first climb i had the op to visit once again Lucarno and his family . Each visit that occurs as the Giro passes finds the gardens full of visitors and family and gives him a chance to wheel out one of his old bikes .

Time being limited  i am dumping in a bunch of photos :

On arrival in cervere i came across the Cuneo Handbike team that had the good fortune to meet Francesco Moser and of course he posed for photos :

Regretably Mark was in a hurry so he missed the chance to practice his french with some of the team as he hurried from Doping Control to another appointment .

A WEEK OF THE GIRO

Posting some photos and will try to add comment later !

Lady in the 1st Photo is the Prime Minister of Denmark , we met at the ITT !














2nd photo shows me alomgside the Crown Prince of Denmark who, i met in Herning om the Sunday of the 2nd Etappe .

3rd photo shows Mario C. as we met in front of the TTT ramp in Verona .

    4th photo shows Ramunas N. exiting Doping Control . I reminded him of our  chat in Herning about Lithuanian Paralympic athletes .

5th photo shows me with Vittorio Adorni and his Racing colleague of many years ago
 

PARA CYCLIST'S BLOG

Recently i came across a blog by an American Para Cyclist , Greta Neimanas , and have taken out some of the more general and interesting points that she has made there . The full article is to be found here :

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/exergy-twenty12/para-cycling-101

" Classification " :


There are four main categories that athletes are broken into -

bicycles, for athletes that can pedal a standard bike,

tandem bicycles, for blind and visually impaired athletes (the blind athletes ride on the back with an able-bodied pilot),

handcycles, for athletes with severe lower extremity disability and/or quadriplegia that power the bike using their arms,

trikes (tricycles), for athletes with severe balance impairment. Within those four groupings, there are varying degrees of impairment for the athletes.

For the sake of time, I'm just going to cover bicycles from here on out. The bikes are divided into five classifications depending on the severity of their disability. Think of these as weight classes. Like in wrestling, a 60kg athlete isn't going up against someone that's 100kg. Someone who is only missing a hand (like me) isn't going to race against someone who only pedals with one leg. Athletes can have anywhere from mild paralysis of a hand or a partial foot amputation, all the way to the other end of the spectrum, riding with one leg and one arm (or the medical equivalent).

Athletes go before an international panel of doctors to determine which class they belong in before they can compete. Athletes in the same classification compete against each other- just like weight classes.

" Equipment ":


More often than not, bikes will have some type of modification to account for the rider's disability. In my case, I have my shifting and braking set up on the right side of my bars. (This type of modification is the most common adaptation, determined by the rider's impaired side.) The front derailleur is operated by a TT shifter plugged into the drop on set of regular road bars. I do, in fact, operate both brakes and it's not on a hope and a prayer. A BMX part called a cable splitter allows me to run two brake cables to a single lever. That's it. Half the time people don't notice that my bike is any different. Riders with leg length discrepancies will use two different length cranks and riders with one leg will remove one crank entirely if not using it.

Prosthetics are custom designed for each athlete and are often made of carbon fiber. Leg amputees use legs that look kind of like a post - there's no part that looks like a foot, only a cleat at the end of the leg that clips directly into the pedal.

" Where does para-cycling get you ? "

That's a question that I won't be able to answer until I retire. I've said it before, not many people know that we even exist so being in it for the fame and fortune is off the list. Like every other athlete, we want to go as far as we can get in the sport. If that means USAC cat. 4 or if that that means a gold medal at the Games, that's what it is. I'm so fortunate to be a part of Exergy TWENTY12 and have the support of a team, staff and the best equipment for my every need - Felt, Zipp, SRAM, Pearl Izumi, and Oakley are the best in the business and it shows. It's rare that a para athlete is in such a position with a professional team and for that, I'm grateful. Riding and racing is what I love to do and wherever it takes me is where it will get me. In the meantime, I think I'll just keep riding."



THere are a great many other blogs by Para Athletes out there , and for over a year i have been requesting input from my readers so as to share that information . These Amazing people need ALL the support that can be offered since many are working towards the 2012 London Para Games like Greta , but without the same good fortune , of working in their chosen sport .

Come on Folks find the Para Athletes' Blogs and share them with others !

SERVICES RENDERED

Businesses rely on Transport Companies to deliver their incoming or outgoing products more and more these days . How do they feel when a cyclist arrives on their premises following the delivery vehicle ? How do they feel when that Cyclist asks them to call the Police or the Company responsible for that Vehicle ?

Usually they don’t want to be involved but they want to know the circumstances . It is a catch 22 situation , curiosity and the desire not to get involved ! Too often they reluctantly will reveal the name of the owner of the vehicle or company involved in the transaction . Usually the driver will have their version of the events leading the cyclist to pursue them . Most often they will try to laugh off the incident as beneath consideration or their time to discuss what took place .

Drivers need to understand that they are responsible for their actions and Cyclists would do well to not let dangerous behaviour pass . Many times a delivery vehicle is only going a short distance before they will stop to continue their business . Involving the aid of a third party will put that driver on the defensive but more importantly it will serve to remind the driver that they are responsible for their employers’ reputation . The Employer is not going to be too happy to have their client ringing them , to advise , they were asked to call the Police for behaviour that took place on the way to the client ?

Rarely will the Police or other Authority attend when requested as there is no injury or damage but I have had occasions when reporting to the client , the drivers’ behaviours , that driver has gone to the Police to put their version of the incident ! Of course , they are still not interested as “ no harm done “ tends to be their attitude , since they were not there to see the event .

Not every cyclist has the time or inclination to follow up an incident , whether armed with righteous indignation or a Helmet Camera , but it would be better to calmly voice the complaint rather than spew a mouthful of abuse at the driver . Abusing the driver puts you at a level below their ignorance and can even assist their inconsiderate attitude !

Helmet Cameras are a great way of assisting recollection of an incident but too often the user , because they are aggrieved , spoil the benefits with ill considered language . Reading a London based , Cyclist’s Blog recently , I saw so many comments from non cyclists winding up the Cyclists . It seems there are those out there that deliberately endanger Cyclists safety , and then look for Blogs so as to brag about their pathetic attitudes and behaviour ! Blog owners would do well to either ignore or delete their contributions !