A One Armed Wonder.

Dan Richards' Man Ride story.

By Black Sheep Cycling

June 22^nd, 2022

Dan Richards, otherwise known as ‘The One Armed Wonder’ aka @theonearmedwonder has to be one of the most chipper blokes on Instagram but that hasn't always been the case. Dan regularly posts about his fiance, getting sartorially suited for glam charity events and most notably navigating cycling and his mental health following a motorcycle accident that changed his life in 2009.

Dan talks to Black Sheep about how a cross-Atlantic rowing setback steered him onto the bike, the Sydney Invictus Games and now The Race Across America.

How did you get into cycling and what does it mean to be able to get on the bike each day?

I got into cycling as “something else to do” back in late 2015, and early 2016. I’d spent the entirety of 2015 training to row across the Atlantic Ocean. I got to the final five of which four rowers were chosen. When I received the phone call that I hadn’t been selected, I put the phone down, drew on the positives and said well, I need something else to do!

I found myself on the London Night Rider followed immediately by Help for Heroes’ Big Battlefield Bike Ride in June 2016. It was at the end of that 400-mile ride over five days on top of a hill in Verdun, France that I decided I was going to be a cyclist and set a goal for participating in the 2018 Sydney Invictus Games. The preparation for that took two years and I threw myself into the sport. I’ve never looked back - the Games were amazing!

What's the one piece of wisdom that has stuck with you and helped you after your accident? Especially when relearning to ride the bike, that must have been incredibly challenging?

I remember this well, but back in the early day's post-amputation, June/July 2009 I had a conversation with an uncle of mine who said to me in hospital, “You’ll start looking down streets and avenues you never knew were there before.”

When it came to relearning to ride a bike I spent those first few months on a cheap and cheerful turbo trainer watching GCN Training Videos on YouTube because, at the time, I couldn’t even afford a Zwift membership. In fact, my first time outside and clipped in was the 2016 London Nightrider… I didn’t fall off, with regards to balance though, I rode horses in the army I just put it down to that!

It ain’t the shit we face that defines us, it’s how we deal with the shit that does! Granted, ‘shit’ isn’t just narrowed down to limb loss - you don’t need to lose a limb to know what ‘shit’ is But this is my Everest and ‘Shit’ is relative! - @theonearmedwonder

You've been training for the Race Across America for the last two years - what is it and how is your training going?

The Race Across America is an endurance race from The Pacific Coast finishing on the Atlantic Coast It’s billed as the world's toughest bicycle race covering a distance of 3000+ miles and 179,000ft of climbing over three mountain ranges (Sierra, Rockies & Appalachians).

Distance-wise It’s comparable to the TdF however there are no stages, no rest days and completing it in a third of the time (the cut-off for teams is nine days). I’m part of an eight-man cycling team with 12 support crew, and without them, this wouldn’t be possible.

For me, training has been going well although last year I suffered a torn gastrocnemius followed by Covid just before New Year's Eve. Not ideal.

What role does community play in your cycling?

Community is probably the biggest part of cycling, it’s the biggest part of any sport and hobby. I’ve always said find something you love doing, find people who share the same passion and do as much of it with them as you possibly can. Cycling has the potential to be (if you allow it) a very solitary sport, especially when it comes to training. I always try and get on a couple of group rides a week, as a minimum.