A soldier-turned-model who lost his right arm and shoulder in a motorbike crash trained himself as an athlete for the Invictus Games using YouTube and Google.
Dan Richards searched everything he needed to prepare to compete as a cyclist for Great Britain at the tournament for “wounded warriors”, which starts in Sydney on October 20. He found nutrition guides and training tips, which he deployed along with cycling app Strava.
Mr Richards, 33, of Balham, who reaches 40mph on his carbon fibre bike, is competing in the criterium endurance and time trial races.
He was a lance bombardier and a skilled horseman with King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, with a tour of Afghanistan under his belt, when he crashed on the North Circular in 2009.
He had to learn to write, text, control a bike and do everything else only left-handed. He cannot wear a prosthetic because the amputation was too close to his shoulder blade.
Mr Richards said the Games will be his last military event as he is working to be a cycling instructor and TV presenter. Last year he was headhunted by a model agency and fronted a Lloyds bank campaign.
In Richmond Park, where he trains, Mr Richards said: “I never had a coach so I just Googled and YouTubed everything … If watching The Invictus Games inspires even just one person to change their life for the better then that’s a success.”
His fundraising trips include Help for Heroes’ Big Battlefield Bike Ride.
