Yesterday I drove up to SF and met ("One Arm") Willie Stewart for the first time.
I reached out to him because I want to ride again.
I can ride my cruiser around town, but I want to do all day rides again.
And I want to keep dreaming about my 3rd cross country trip on 2 wheels.
For those who don't do adventure races, ultramarathons, triathlons, or the Leadville100...
Willie does not "participate" in sports, he competes and blows by anyone that does not love to win as much as he does (He placed 184th out of 1714 in last years Escape from Alcatraz... and did it as a 51 yr old!)
Willie has proven, and continues to prove, that it's possible to do the amazing with a single hand.
In the 1 hr I was there - He managed to go for a run, do some interviews, shake hands with several fans, demo some pushups, tell me his patented rugby blocking move, and demonstrate the features of his bike arm...
He has a sticker on the back that reads “If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space.” ― Stephen Hunt |
I have no interest in trying to compete with him, but I'm sure we will be sharing a swim or ride together and that is something I am looking forward to.
For the bike geeks out there -
Here's more on the arm http://www.prostheticarm.com/page3.html
and a video of the inventor, Will Craig, on a crazy mountain bike ride http://vimeo.com/36536826)
Looking forward to posting pics of mine later this year(?).
And yes, Willie won his division today.
Wow! Very inspiring and cool.
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