The 97th Tour de France starts Saturday July 3rd, 2010. The Tour consist of 1 prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of over 2,263 miles. This is one of my very favorite sporting events. I am a huge recreational cyclist. I have always considered cycling the one sport that was essential to my recovery when I got my first prosthesis.
Lance Armstrong , whom retired from cycling the year of my accident (2006), has always been a great role model. Lance's book, 'It's Not about The bike' is an inspirational story about his near death recovery from cancer and rise as the best cyclist in the world. Armstrong who came out of retirement finished 3rd in the 2009 Tour. Lance has admitted in recent interviews that his conditioning is not exactly where he 'hoped it would be' for the race this year. At 38 years old, if Armstrong does pull off a win, he would be the oldest person to ever win the race. Most indicators are that Armstrong's chances are fair at best to win. There are encouraging signs from his recent second place finish in the Tour de Suisse. Lance's team Team Radioshack is definitely one of the strongest teams in the tour. Armstrong will need great team support, some surprising days in the mountains and a little luck to be victorious this year. Armstrong just put out a tweet stating that this will be his final Tour De France...hmmm seems like I heard that somewhere before?
Of course, the person predicted to win the 2010 Tour is last years champion, and former Armstrong team mate Alberto Contador . Contador is heavily favored to win the Tour this year. Contador is 11 years younger than Armstrong and about 35 lbs lighter, a critical factor for riding the mountains. Alberto has won the Volta ao Algarve, Paris-Nice and Vuelta and Castilla y León races this year. Contador claims to be in better shape than he was last year. Contador's Team Astana is not great, but probably enough to support him to victory.
Other favorites to win this year are the Schlex brothers Andy and Frank . The two brothers both ride for Team Saxo Bank . The Schlex brother are phenomenal riders, especially in the mountains. Andy, the youngest brother is more suited to the type of race that the Tour is. With brother Frank watching his back and the right conditions, Andy Schlex may be the 2010 tour winner.
The are many other riders that have more than decent chances of winning the Tour. Illness, crash and injury can change the outcome of the race at any given moment. I have included a couple cycling highlight videos in an effort to maybe spurn some interest.
Cycling Motivation
Lance Armstrong Crash/Recovery 2003
I personally love to watch the riders as they start to climb in the mountains. It is a glimpse of human spirit and determination opening up right before your eyes. The question of who the strongest rider is becomes more apparent each day in the mountains. The teamwork, tactics and strategy that each team attempts to employ unfolds each day. The team with the right combination that peaks at the right moment rises up to victory.
To me life is like a bike race in many ways. Some days are good and others are bad. You make friends an rivals along the journey the to the finish line. You are inspired by the performance of others and you often inspire others yourself. Sometimes it is you and the team pulling together, other times you are all alone, climbing a big giant hill, giving it all you got and hanging on for dear life..
May the wind be at your back. Ty
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.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Every Day Is Exactly The Same
I am not sure about you but I remember saying things like "I hate my life" and "why me" at certain times before. At other moments I've thought things like 'life is so boring' or 'nothing is new and exciting to me' or 'I've tried it all'.
You know what? Since I became an amputee I have rarely thought those negative thoughts or felt life was unexciting. You would think the exact opposite would be true? Undoubtedly my circumstances have become much more adverse and challenging since losing a limb.
I don't know what it is exactly? Maybe something deep inside has caused me to be more positive to help overcome the situation? Maybe I just gained a deeper appreciation for life after nearly losing it? I really can't say.
The only way every day is the same is if you let it become that way. There are many things you can do to add variety to your life and keep it fresh. There is my old favorite exercise, which is a great way to keep you physically and mentally in shape. Studies prove that exercise can improve your life on all kinds of levels. The natural chemicals that your body releases while involved in exercising helps your body in various ways. Your joints, muscles and brain all get a dosage of healing and mentally stimulating chemicals from your body naturally. There is also the traditional benefits of weight loss, cardiovascular improvement an so fourth.
Routine is yet another method to help add spice to life. I know it sounds contradictory, because we often think of routine as boring. I prefer some routine in my life, because the structure helps keep me grounded. By changing things up you can also keep them exciting. When going to the gym and working a certain muscle group(s) you can switch up the exercises you do. Little things like changing reps or going from machines to free weight is actually very beneficial because it stops your muscles from getting used to the same movement. If you go into the gym and do the same exact thing all the time your body will adapt and you will get bored. This routine switching method can be done with different types of exercise as well. When riding my bike I purposely take another route and try to get lost, it helps freshen up the experience. Maybe I will see something I never have before? Maybe I will know to never go that way again?...lol. Often when I go for a run I will go to different places. One day I may stop by the beach if I am close. Another time I may go to the park and 'people watch' while I enjoy my trot.
Another way to keep things interesting is to check out different viewpoints. Maybe watch MSNBC instead of FOX News one night or vice versa? Maybe listen to AM talk radio instead of NPR all the time? Listening to someone you always agree is pleasant, but what are you really learning? Maybe if you listen to both sides you might get the full story. I have sat through many 'documentaries' that I totally disagreed with and thought were so biased before. There were actually a few points brought up that I probably never would have considered had I not bothered to check it out. If something makes you uncomfortable, it just might be causing you to think? At the very least you can try to understand why a person may feel a certain way. I think you need to add mental and physical variety to your life to keep growing.
The very best way to appreciate life is to be thankful. Everyday at some point during the day (usually toward the beginning) I purposely make a point to count my blessings. All I have to really do is just think about the time in my life I was unable to walk to realize how lucky I am. I also know I have been blessed with the best gift in the world...the ability to cause others to be thankful as well. At some point during the day a person is going to see me peddle a bike up a hill, run by them in the park or walk past them on the street and they are going to say "what is my excuse to be bummed out" or think 'if that was me could I do it?'. Total strangers tell me all the time I inspire them. I imagine I have been the topic of conversation along the lines of "honey you will never guess what I saw today?" a time or two. Yells out the window from cars, the thumbs up or comments like 'go bionic man' are usual scenes of my daily experience.
Despite all of this I do have bad days. I actually run across individuals in my life that have gone out of their way to try and ruin my positive energy. Even some I felt that have tried to destroy my life and livelihood. I try my best to be thankful when this happens as well. There is a lesson in everything. Maybe I need to change something about myself? Maybe this person needs help and this is their way of asking for it? Of course if you make nothing but friends everywhere you go you are probably spineless and have no opinion about anything.
What I do know is that there is a lot adversity in all of our lives. If it was easy it wouldn't be life. Can you imagine the torment our ancestors used to go through just to do something as basic as eat at one time? All I know is that I no longer 'hate my life' in fact I am grateful for each day that I get a chance to get up, get out and live. There is no more 'why me?' Instead I say 'it could be worse' or 'it has been worse before'. Challenges, while still being uncomfortable are more about learning than feeling sorry for myself.
What I am trying to convey is that life can seem boring, harsh or even meaningless at times and that there are certain things you can do to combat these feelings.
You control your destiny. Life is what you make of it.
Until next post. Ty
You know what? Since I became an amputee I have rarely thought those negative thoughts or felt life was unexciting. You would think the exact opposite would be true? Undoubtedly my circumstances have become much more adverse and challenging since losing a limb.
I don't know what it is exactly? Maybe something deep inside has caused me to be more positive to help overcome the situation? Maybe I just gained a deeper appreciation for life after nearly losing it? I really can't say.
The only way every day is the same is if you let it become that way. There are many things you can do to add variety to your life and keep it fresh. There is my old favorite exercise, which is a great way to keep you physically and mentally in shape. Studies prove that exercise can improve your life on all kinds of levels. The natural chemicals that your body releases while involved in exercising helps your body in various ways. Your joints, muscles and brain all get a dosage of healing and mentally stimulating chemicals from your body naturally. There is also the traditional benefits of weight loss, cardiovascular improvement an so fourth.
Routine is yet another method to help add spice to life. I know it sounds contradictory, because we often think of routine as boring. I prefer some routine in my life, because the structure helps keep me grounded. By changing things up you can also keep them exciting. When going to the gym and working a certain muscle group(s) you can switch up the exercises you do. Little things like changing reps or going from machines to free weight is actually very beneficial because it stops your muscles from getting used to the same movement. If you go into the gym and do the same exact thing all the time your body will adapt and you will get bored. This routine switching method can be done with different types of exercise as well. When riding my bike I purposely take another route and try to get lost, it helps freshen up the experience. Maybe I will see something I never have before? Maybe I will know to never go that way again?...lol. Often when I go for a run I will go to different places. One day I may stop by the beach if I am close. Another time I may go to the park and 'people watch' while I enjoy my trot.
Another way to keep things interesting is to check out different viewpoints. Maybe watch MSNBC instead of FOX News one night or vice versa? Maybe listen to AM talk radio instead of NPR all the time? Listening to someone you always agree is pleasant, but what are you really learning? Maybe if you listen to both sides you might get the full story. I have sat through many 'documentaries' that I totally disagreed with and thought were so biased before. There were actually a few points brought up that I probably never would have considered had I not bothered to check it out. If something makes you uncomfortable, it just might be causing you to think? At the very least you can try to understand why a person may feel a certain way. I think you need to add mental and physical variety to your life to keep growing.
The very best way to appreciate life is to be thankful. Everyday at some point during the day (usually toward the beginning) I purposely make a point to count my blessings. All I have to really do is just think about the time in my life I was unable to walk to realize how lucky I am. I also know I have been blessed with the best gift in the world...the ability to cause others to be thankful as well. At some point during the day a person is going to see me peddle a bike up a hill, run by them in the park or walk past them on the street and they are going to say "what is my excuse to be bummed out" or think 'if that was me could I do it?'. Total strangers tell me all the time I inspire them. I imagine I have been the topic of conversation along the lines of "honey you will never guess what I saw today?" a time or two. Yells out the window from cars, the thumbs up or comments like 'go bionic man' are usual scenes of my daily experience.
Despite all of this I do have bad days. I actually run across individuals in my life that have gone out of their way to try and ruin my positive energy. Even some I felt that have tried to destroy my life and livelihood. I try my best to be thankful when this happens as well. There is a lesson in everything. Maybe I need to change something about myself? Maybe this person needs help and this is their way of asking for it? Of course if you make nothing but friends everywhere you go you are probably spineless and have no opinion about anything.
What I do know is that there is a lot adversity in all of our lives. If it was easy it wouldn't be life. Can you imagine the torment our ancestors used to go through just to do something as basic as eat at one time? All I know is that I no longer 'hate my life' in fact I am grateful for each day that I get a chance to get up, get out and live. There is no more 'why me?' Instead I say 'it could be worse' or 'it has been worse before'. Challenges, while still being uncomfortable are more about learning than feeling sorry for myself.
What I am trying to convey is that life can seem boring, harsh or even meaningless at times and that there are certain things you can do to combat these feelings.
You control your destiny. Life is what you make of it.
Until next post. Ty
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