Indiana Stage Race August 23, 2008

INDIANA STAGE RACE THIS WEEKEND TO FEATURE THREE-WHEELED HANDCYCLE DIVISION

Record number of individuals with extremity impairments to compete

( Indianapolis , Ind. ) – Racing enthusiasts in Central Indiana are very familiar with four-wheeled competitions. Two-wheeled racing isn’t unusual for the area either. But, three wheels?

Yes, three-wheeled racing is coming to Indianapolis this weekend. You’ll have the opportunity to see handcycles in action, when they and their riders are in the spotlight during this year’s Indiana Stage Race.

The Indiana Stage Race is a popular annual cycling race for able-bodied men and women. For the third straight year, it will also feature a handcycle division for individuals with upper and lower extremity impairments.

The entry list for the handcycle division has grown every year since it was first included in the race line-up. Four riders competed the first year, 12 the next and now 25 cyclists from all over the country will be participating.

A collaboration of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana ( RHI ), the U.S. Handcycling Federation, and Breakaway Promotions, LLC, the races in the handcycling division will be the most exciting yet with the top cyclists in the National Series on hand, and the championship title to be decided this weekend in the last race of the series.

Among the handcycling competitors will be David Randall of Mansfield , Ohio , who served in the Iraq war and now competes for the Buckeye Paralyzed Veterans of America. Randall recently won the gold medal in the handcycle time trial at the National Veteran Wheelchair Games in Omaha . He describes the Indiana Stage Race as “one of my favorites.”

Randall will be joined by Scott McNeice, St. Petersburg , Fla. , whose resume boasts a silver medal in the 2002 World Handcycling Championships time trial, and an 8th overall finish in the 2007 World Cycling Championships.

A little local flavor will be added with RHI Sports athlete Chad Johnson, who will get back into the handcycle after focusing his early season on racing and track and field, including competing in the Paralympics trials in June.

The stages of this weekend’s race are as follows:

Stage 1 (Aug. 23) - 2.5-mile road race course in Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park
o Handcyclists will be competing at 1:35 p.m.

Stage 2 (Aug. 23) – 5-mile time trial on the fun and fast Fall Creek Parkway
o All racers will begin competing at 4 p.m.

Stage 3 (Aug. 24) - 1.3-mile crit course at the Indiana State Fairgrounds
o Handcyclists will be competing at 10:10 a.m. in the morning.

“It is great to see the cyclists from all divisions interacting each year and even better to have more handcyclists here to take part this year,” said Dan Daly, director of the Indiana Race Series. “Their participation adds so much depth to the Series. I am really excited to see how things have grown.”

“We are truly grateful to Dan for letting us join his event. He understands and recognizes our handcyclists as true athletes and I can’t thank him enough for providing a place for them to compete,” said Michele Sheets, who works as a physical therapist at RHI and serves as the local organizer of the handcycle division.

Handcyclists in the Indiana Stage Race will be competing for a total purse of $2,000.