Army Trials competition opens on "super bowl" of cycling courses at Fort Bliss

Courtesy Photo | Recumbent cyclists are cued up to compete against the clock and each other at the 2016 Army Trials at Fort Bliss Texas, March 6. Cyclists start the course in one minute intervals. More than 100 wounded, ill and injured Soldiers and veterans are at Fort Bliss to train and compete in a series of athletic events including archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, and wheelchair basketball. Army Trails, March 6-10, are conducted by the Department of Defense Warrior Games 2016 Army Team, Approximately 250 athletes, representing teams from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Special Operations Command and the British Armed Forces will compete in the DoD Warrior Games June 14-22 at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. (U.S. Army photo by Ronald Wolf/Released)  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

03.08.2016

Story by Ronald Wolf 

Army Recovery Care Program

FORT BLISS, Texas – A day that began cool and overcast, ideal for cycling, turned sunny and windy halfway through the competition at the Army Trials at Fort Bliss, March 6, 2016. The athletes embraced the challenge, bending into the wind with a never quit attitude.

The athletes are at Fort Bliss training for the 2016 U.S. Army Warrior Trials. About 90 wounded, ill and injured soldiers and veterans are arriving at Fort Bliss to train and compete in adaptive sports including archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, and wheelchair basketball.

The Army Trials are conducted by the Army Warrior Transition Command March 6-10 and will help determine who will get a spot on the 2016 Army Team for the DoD Warrior Games. Approximately 250 athletes, representing teams from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Special Operations Command and the British Armed Forces will compete in the DoD Warrior Games June 14-22 at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York.

These athletes are competitive by nature, and that competitive spirit was challenged by the presence of members of the Australian team who are also here training for the Invictus Games.

Nearly 60 of the athletes are competing in cycling, making it one of the most popular sports at the Army trials. Cycling reaps rich rewards in adaptive reconditioning in returning active duty service members or veterans to routine lives, both in being therapeutic and improving fitness.

Cycling is especially important as an adaptive sport because the sport itself is adaptable. Regardless of the nature of injury or illness, cycles can be adapted to almost every individual. There are hand cycles for those who cannot pedal with their legs or have lost legs, recumbent cycles for those whose injuries do not permit them to pedal upright, tandem cycles for those who vision impaired or compete as para-athletic teams, and conventional upright cycles for those who may have one or more prosthetic legs.

The cycling trials were set up so athletes raced against the clock. Cyclists were started at one minute intervals. Progress on the course would be measured by cutting down the distance to the cyclist ahead. Except for the very first cyclist, there is always someone to try to gain ground on.

Most competitors praised the cycling course at Fort Bliss, and it was described as the “super bowl” of cycling courses. It is relatively flat, which cyclists love. The course had a few “false” flat areas that appear level but are actually upgrades where time can be lost if the cyclist doesn’t recognize the grade change in time.

At least nine of the Army Trials athletes have qualified for the Invictus Games, an international competition held this year in Orlando, Florida, in May. The Invictus Team will be captained by retired Capt. Will Reynolds, who competed here at Fort Bliss in tandem cycling and also competes in track.

Reynolds is typical of the athletes here. He lost his left leg in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated. Adaptive sports have played a large role in his return to routine activity in competitions and in the workplace.

The Army Trials are about more than just competing. Building camaraderie and cohesiveness in this unique group of athletes is a key element of the trials. Sometimes old faces try something new as the healing process allows them to tackle uncharted events. For this Army Trials, half a dozen former athletes, some who will compete at the Invictus Games, have returned to act as mentors.

The athletes came to Fort Bliss mentally and physically tough, despite illness or injury. Qualifying for the DoD warrior games gives them the chance to prove it.

To see the results of the cycling event, go to the Warrior Transition Command website at the following hyperlink: http://www.wtc.army.mil/warrior_games/army_trials_2016_trial_events.html

• Date Taken: 03.08.2016
• Date Posted: 03.08.2016 19:33
• Story ID: 191656
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US