Support Matt's Hand-Cycling Dream
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Dear Reader
My name is Matthew, I’m a 38 year old hand-cyclist based in Caerphilly, South Wales.
I have a rare condition known as Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP), which affects my extremities. Having CIP means I do not feel temperature or pain from roughly 3inches above my elbows down and from about 4inches above my knee though my tolerance to pain over the rest of my body is higher than normal. As a result of damage caused by my condition, I had my left knee cap removed when I was 7, and my right leg amputated above the knee at 16. More recently I have had 2 toes on my left foot removed.
While my condition has sometimes been a challenge, I have always loved sport, and sport in many forms has always been a huge part of my life. During my teens and twenties I played wheelchair tennis, however in 2012 I got the opportunity to get on a bike …….and I was hooked!
My Cycling
In 2012 I rode a bike for the first time since the age of 12 or 13 and to say I fell a few times is an understatement. I ended up training regularly and ended up competing at two Paracycling events at Newport Velodrome in 2013 & 2015, both times I picked up bronze in the 3km pursuit. It was after the event in January 2015 that I made the decision to make the switch to handcycling as I was experiencing a large amount of discomfort from riding a regular bike.
Hand-Cycling
This last 12 months I have competed both internationally in UCI events and nationally in the Paracycling National Series, my personal highlight was a top 10 finish at the Paracycling Road World Cup in Emmen, Holland and finishing 3rd in the British National Series.
My medium-term goal is to become a British Cycling Programme rider though I am fully aware that this will only become a reality so long as my development, results and performances continue to improve race by race year by year.
My long-term goal is Paris 2024 and before that to become one of the best if not the best in the world by this time. I work full time which allows me to finance my travel and training costs, I also have an amazing family who support me in so many ways and who constantly make sacrifices and allowances, so that I can train and travel as needed.
Equipment Costs
As with most disability sports equipment, the equipment required to allow me to participate in sport does not come cheap, whether it is a day wheelchair, sports wheelchair, prosthetic, handbike sit-ski. All are extremely expensive and for many of us with a disability this can put playing a sport out of reach.
So why am I here on a go fund me page? Well I am here to ask for your help in supporting me to raise the funds required to purchase a new handbike. The proposed new bike will have a custom sized and shaped frame / pod (which is where I sit in the kneeling position) and will be of carbon fibre construction.
I have had several offers of support however I will not be able to raise the full amount of £13,000 without your help. So please, if you are able to support me, no matter how small your donation, or you know of others who may also support my dream then please, spread the word and help me make that next step!
Where the Money Goes!
£9’550 - Bike Frame
£1’100 - Electronic Shifting
£1’200 - Race Wheels
£500 - Training wheels
£1’000 - Power Meter, to allow me to gauge my efforts when racing
My name is Matthew, I’m a 38 year old hand-cyclist based in Caerphilly, South Wales.
I have a rare condition known as Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP), which affects my extremities. Having CIP means I do not feel temperature or pain from roughly 3inches above my elbows down and from about 4inches above my knee though my tolerance to pain over the rest of my body is higher than normal. As a result of damage caused by my condition, I had my left knee cap removed when I was 7, and my right leg amputated above the knee at 16. More recently I have had 2 toes on my left foot removed.
While my condition has sometimes been a challenge, I have always loved sport, and sport in many forms has always been a huge part of my life. During my teens and twenties I played wheelchair tennis, however in 2012 I got the opportunity to get on a bike …….and I was hooked!
My Cycling
In 2012 I rode a bike for the first time since the age of 12 or 13 and to say I fell a few times is an understatement. I ended up training regularly and ended up competing at two Paracycling events at Newport Velodrome in 2013 & 2015, both times I picked up bronze in the 3km pursuit. It was after the event in January 2015 that I made the decision to make the switch to handcycling as I was experiencing a large amount of discomfort from riding a regular bike.
Hand-Cycling
This last 12 months I have competed both internationally in UCI events and nationally in the Paracycling National Series, my personal highlight was a top 10 finish at the Paracycling Road World Cup in Emmen, Holland and finishing 3rd in the British National Series.
My medium-term goal is to become a British Cycling Programme rider though I am fully aware that this will only become a reality so long as my development, results and performances continue to improve race by race year by year.
My long-term goal is Paris 2024 and before that to become one of the best if not the best in the world by this time. I work full time which allows me to finance my travel and training costs, I also have an amazing family who support me in so many ways and who constantly make sacrifices and allowances, so that I can train and travel as needed.
Equipment Costs
As with most disability sports equipment, the equipment required to allow me to participate in sport does not come cheap, whether it is a day wheelchair, sports wheelchair, prosthetic, handbike sit-ski. All are extremely expensive and for many of us with a disability this can put playing a sport out of reach.
So why am I here on a go fund me page? Well I am here to ask for your help in supporting me to raise the funds required to purchase a new handbike. The proposed new bike will have a custom sized and shaped frame / pod (which is where I sit in the kneeling position) and will be of carbon fibre construction.
I have had several offers of support however I will not be able to raise the full amount of £13,000 without your help. So please, if you are able to support me, no matter how small your donation, or you know of others who may also support my dream then please, spread the word and help me make that next step!
Where the Money Goes!
£9’550 - Bike Frame
£1’100 - Electronic Shifting
£1’200 - Race Wheels
£500 - Training wheels
£1’000 - Power Meter, to allow me to gauge my efforts when racing
Organizer
Matthew Faucher
Organizer
