Saddleback Staff Stories: a tale of triumph over adversity

21 OCTOber 2021

By Nicki Giles

There are many keen cyclists at Saddleback, but none so passionate about MTB as Graphic Designer Tom Wheeler, who overcame injury to ride the trails he loves. 

Having started racing at Pee Wee level and progressed to the Expert class at the Nationals, as a sponsored downhill racer, Saddleback’s Tom Wheeler wasn’t about to allow losing the use of his right arm to stop him from cycling! Since his crash at the WDMBA round at Rheola in March 2011, Tom has worked hard to make sure that, whether professionally or personally, he finds a way round any obstacle that might stop him from achieving his goals.

“I get a lot of satisfaction from overcoming these problems,” he says in The Designer, the latest of our collection of films showcasing the zeal for cycling that powers Saddleback. “I guess maybe that’s something that’s really helped me, as I’ve learned to enjoy the process almost as much as the end result, and I think that’s a big part of where I am now.”

Learn more about how Tom has worked to ensure that his disability never slows him down and watch him tear up the trails at Cwmcarn and Risca in the second of our Saddleback Staff Stories.