Swapping the velodrome for a Saturday coffee run is a decision Andy Falconer still grapples with sometimes.
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The Wodonga father is a 12-time national and state paracycling champion who retired from competion in 2016.
His last competition at a national level was in April, tackling the hills of Adelaide for the road national championships.
“I came back with two bronze medals, which I was pretty happy about because the kid who beat me was 17 years old and weighed about 40 kilograms,” he said.
“A cycle up Beechworth is nothing compared to that.”
When the December nationals rolled around, Falconer felt the itch to get back on the bike.
“Seven to eight years is a long time to train at that level, six days a week, twice a day,” he said.
“I still fight with it every now and again – when my mates are off racing.
“I still do local club races but it was pretty tough to sit at home and see the nationals on.”
Falconer will tackle the 90km Kergunyah Kruise in the Lake Hume Cycle Challenge on Saturday.
He will ride on a bike fitted with an electronic gearing system, called Di2, allowing him to use a switch that changes gears.
Falconer said he doesn’t field many questions about how he rides – it happens more often going about day-to-day duties.
“When people come up to me, or my friends’ children say ‘Oh you only have one arm’, or ‘You have no feet’, you try to make light of it,” he said.
“I say something like, ‘I’m that good I only need one arm’.
“Being born this way, I was brought up to just deal with it and get on with it basically.”
And sometimes, when he can’t get on with it, he gets on his bike.
“Riding the bike, you can clear your head out,” Falconer said.
“Riding my bike has helped me through things and given me purpose … I have mates who have been in the military and have PTSD, so we get together for a social ride.
“In general, the bike does do wonders for everyone.”