BaseCamper Jeremy Raeszler shared a recent achievement in the BaseCamp RPI summer session.
As a para cyclist, I am limited on how much I can gain…or so I thought. I am paralyzed from the waist down with really only good mind to muscle connection in my quads. That means my hammys, my calves, ankles, feet & toes, my butt and my hips simply don't work right. And to top it off, I'm stubborn, so I ride a standard bike; no special equipment or gearing…just a bike. And it's only been since November last year on a spin bike in the privacy of my home and March of this year out in the real world. I've tried two events this year and was not able to finish either one. Obviously failure is the first thing that I have had to mentally overcome when I don't finish, but when I finally do, I'm so very proud for what I've done.
Now for the good part…like my fellow BaseCampers, I'm just 14 short days in with RPI Basecamp. I've never…ever…never ever averaged over 12.5 mph during a ride…and those were short 15-mile rides on a road I've ridden over and over. Well, on today's training ride, the Gravel Endurance Power Step Up, I started out on a road I've driven a million times but never rode on my bike….I covered nearly 33 miles, and check out that average speed!!..!.! Not bad for a crippled guy. I was able to increase my average by 1/2 mph! What?!! 😎
No way I could have done this without Rebecca, Coach Tim, & Coach Namrita sharing their knowledge through this program. I hope everyone else is experiencing gains and enjoying this RPI 2023 journey as much as I am. 🙌🏻🙌🏻.
Congrats Jeremy, that's awesome (and so are you!)