Golden Opportunity coming up this weekend!

Hi there,
Just a quick post to let you know what is coming up:
Golden Opportunity:
The golden opportunity this weekend that awaits Dedan is.......ta dat! ta da!
Dedan will be partaking in a 9 mile time trial on Saturday morning at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista,(waaaaahhhhhooooo)against members of the USA Paralympic cycling squad. How cool is that!!!

The Training Center rests on a 150-acre complex adjacent to Lower Otay Lake in San Diego County. The center has sport venues and support facilities for nine Olympic sports: archery, canoe/kayak, cycling, field hockey, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, and track & field. Through programs developed by the national governing bodies of each sport, an estimated 4,000 athletes each year receive the coaching, support and facilities necessary to be their best....and Dedan is going to get the opportunity to show his form!!

Chris was cruising around the internet a couple of weeks back and saw that they were having a training camp and so emailed the USA coach to see if Dedan could attend. I think they are going to be surprised with how fast he can ride and fingers crossed that they will allow him to attend more days!! We had to give our names to the coach so that he can give them to the main gate to let us in. The general rule is - if you're not an Olympic athlete, well you ain't coming in here! We can't wait to get down there and have oodles of questions to ask the coach and maybe some of the athletes(hopefully they are willing to help us), as we need answers from people in the know!

Why the excitement? other than to have a look around...well
We have been advised to hold off on getting Dedan fitted for a cycling socket just yet as according to Kel Bergman (our main man at SCOPE who made the walking socket), once Dedan uses his walking socket for a couple of months his residual limb (the remaining part of his right limb aka stump) will grow and therefore change the fit of a cycling socket if we were to get it fitted right now. So....the timing of this USA Paracycling training camp has been fortuitous as we can get some of our questions answered.Some of the athletes choose not to use a prosthetic limb while racing and yet others do so it will be a fact gathering visit as well as a race for Dedan. We have also just heard that they are changing the classifications within Paracycling (Dedan is currently an LC3 - one leg with an above knee amputee) and so that will also have an affect on the cycling socket..what kind? what material? etc. The classifications will not be finalised until November 09 and so it looks like we will have to hold off and there may be another trip back to the states for Dedan in 2010!
We'll take lots of photos (if we are allowed) and post them to the blog next Sunday.

Dedan's turn to be a tourist:
It has been crazy hot here in Southern Cal and so we thought it a good time to show Dedan some of the local tourist spots ...which we take for granted as well as some down time to relax and recover from the Mount Palomar ride. Monday was a 93 degree Fahrenheit day and so at the end of the day, where to go? no other than La Jolla Cove for a swim in the ocean and dinner at Georges...fab restaurant overlooking the ocean.! The cove is a well used diving spot for locals, it being a sanctuary for fish and all other ocean creatures. It was funny to watch Dedan in the water with fish bumping into his leg. Kinda spooked him out to start but once he realised that it wasn't a school of shark he was off! He has been swimming regularly at out local haunt - The Boys and Girls Club as part of his cross training and recovery program since he got to the states as they have a gorgeous outdoor pool. Unbeknownst to us he has been watching a couple of the hot swimmers who train there and has taught himself how to butterfly and back stroke. He told me last night that until he came to the states he had never done those strokes before..I tell ya the boy is a freik of nature..in a good way! Other things on our list of things to do are The Midway - a navy aircraft carrier parked up as a museum in down town San Diego harbour and of course Seaworld. It was suggested to us that maybe we should take Dedan out to the Wild animal park...ah! why would we show a Kenyan lions and giraffes when they are from his home country? Lots of giggles after that point was made.

Swamis Ride:
Dedan outside Nytro about to join the Swamis ride through Elfin Forrest.






































San Clemente Ride:
Kevin Koch and Dedan outside the turn around point of the San Clemente ride which goes through the marine base Camp Pendleton. The shop is a refuel stop for fluids and food and a momentary rest-ette!
OK..I have to go and do some work....
Hope you are all well.
Cheers
Janet