How a hospital dream transformed adaptive mountain biking

How a hospital dream transformed adaptive mountain bikingTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, How a life-changing mountain bike crash led to pioneering adaptive technologyBySam Dixon-French BBC Sport WalesPublished13 minutes agoCommentsTom Wheeler's prep for a mountain bike ride is a little different to most.As well as putting on his helmet and gloves, he straps on a one of a kind arm brace - a piece of adaptive technology he built himself.Fifteen years ago Tom lost the use of his right arm in a crash at a race in Rheola, near Neath in south Wales."Right at the end of a track my hand caught a branch and I went flying over the handlebars," he said."It was a huge impact. I just assumed I'd dislocated my shoulder. Then we realised that I couldn't feel my right arm."In fact, Wheeler had pulled out 80% of the nerves connecting his right arm to the rest of his body, losing sensation and movement. But even from his hospital bed, Wheeler was plotting his return to the sport he loves.Image source, BBC SportImage caption, Tom Wheeler designed his arm brace with the help of the suspension company he worked for at the timeDreamt up in hospital"The brace was something I dreamt up in hospital. I just pictured myself with this arm brace and getting back to doing what I always did," he said.Working with colleagues at the suspension company where worked at the time, Wheeler created the first prototype of his brace, which is based on a mountain bike damper - part of the suspension system. "It was about three days since I got back home and I was already in the garage having a look at my bike and working it out," he said."I was familiar with other riders who'd had similar injuries and they'd set their bikes up to use with just one hand. It wasn't easy."Wheeler has spent around 15 years perfecting his design, and it features Velcro to ke...