A hand cyclist from Blenheim is getting ready for the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo next week.
It will be the first Paralympics for Alex Hyndman who made his international breakthrough at the 2018 World Championships, when he won the bronze medal in the time trial.
He started Paracycling after he was injured in a car crash in 2010 where he broke his back when the car rolled over on him.
Hyndman told CK Mornings with Chris, Jenn and Matt that hand cycling is a very challenging sport. He said he is competing in a 24-kilometre time trial and an 80-kilometre road race, which he said will be grueling in the Tokyo mountains.
"Take a bike, flip it upside down and turn it around and then we have two wheels behind us to balance it out and just use your arms. It makes it a little more difficult because we're pushing above our heart. So your heart is working twice as hard to get the blood up to the arms," said Hyndman. "In Tokyo, we're climbing about 300 metres a lap. I'm not too sure how long it's going to take but it's not going to be quick."
Hyndman said outside of competing, he's looking forward to visiting some sites.
"See a little bit of the countryside. We're actually racing on Mount Fuji Speedway. We're at the base of Mount Fuji and I'm interested to see that," he said.
Hyndman said he trains in the flat Chatham-Kent terrain by riding into the wind for resistance and gets some hill training in Quebec whenever he can.
The Paralympics begin on August 24, 2021. Hyndman races on August 31, 2021 and again the next day.
