A while bike, while searching for people to form an amputee cycling team, I met Ozzy Reyes. Ozzy is a left BK amputee like myself. There are differences between us. Ozzy has been an amputee since he was young. Oz also has a residual limb that is much longer than mine. While I am just barely an BK (only extending about 6" past my knee) Ozzy is missing his leg just above where the ankle level is.
The differences between us are very telling in the way we approach things. For instance, Ozzy does not use a shower chair to bathe, he just stands in the shower without much fear of falling. Ozzy can also jog using his regular prosthesis, which is pretty hard for me to do. The shorter lever arm I have makes it difficult to change from walk to run mode without using a different type of prosthesis.
Ozzy and I have been talking about doing an organized bike ride together for some time. As cycling season approaches it is my hope we will participate in some rides together.
I am currently in the middle of putting together my own set of instructional cycling and lifestyle videos for amputees. It dawned on me some time ago when we were hanging out that I had to interview Ozzy as part of my videos series.
Ozzy has been riding for over 20 years. He definitely does some things differently than I would as a cyclist. These differences made me even more intent on interviewing him. We are all different. There may be some method(s) Ozzy uses that might be best for someone else to follow or use as a comparison to develop their own way of doing things.
Ozzy is a great resource for other amputees interested in cycling. At one time Ozzy attended a Paralympic Cycling camp. I have met few people as enthused about cycling as the Oz man. His knowledge of the sport is very good. Any facts about different riders or races he usually has in his memory recall. The guy lives the cycling lifestyle, often riding his bike to and from work each day.
Ozzy's knowledge of bikes is great also. Oz is a certified bike mechanic for Bicycle World here in Houston, TX Bike World . Bicycle World is a great bike shop that does great work. Ozzy's co-workers share his enthusiasm for cycling too. It is always great to see people doing something they are passionate about.
Here is a link to the video. Enjoy!
Amputee - Get Your Bike Ride On
My name is Ty Wilson.
I am a left leg below the knee amputee.
I post blogs about life as an amputee and amputee quality of life issues.
Please Keep the Videos Coming!
ReplyDeleteHi, My name is Scott Lane I am a new amputee from Cincinnati, Ohio in May 2010 I lost my leg in a motorcycle accident. in May 2011 myself and 2 other amputees are going to ride bicycles from Clarksville, Ohio to the ACA national conference in Kansas City, Missouri. We are doing this to raise money for kids who are amputees. My question is what type of liners do most amputee cyclist wear while riding? I have been training for 6 months and I am sweating bad in my Alpha Design liner. What advice might you have? I am also a left BK.
ReplyDeleteHey Scott:
ReplyDeleteI tried tried to respond to you personally and for seem reason settings would not let me.
I used a regular alpha line. In the beginning I felt I sweat a whole lot as well. I would use a 1 ply or 3 ply sock under my liner to wick up moisture...just changing it out when I stopped. Keeping a clean towel to pat down your liner and leg with is a must.
Believe it or not your leg will start to sweat less and you will get more used to the feeling of your liners and when you need to attend to them.
I think the ride is an awesome ideal. I wish you the best of luck with it.
I'm Robert Bailey a bilat BKA. Try using Mitchum SmartSolid unscented anti perspirant. After you shower apply it up to where the liner reaches. If your legs are a tiny bit wet you can rub it in. This does a great job of reducing the sweat. I use a normal Alpha liner. I also add some A&D ointment at the bottom of the limb to reduce friction. If you ride a lot your going to get some bunching behind the knee. Add A&D there also. I'm going to try the sock under the liner trick.
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