Cycling prosthetic brings pedal power

I wanted to update you before I head off to Oz on my British cycling squad training. I've nicked my girlfriends laptop so hopefully I'll be able to send you an update straight from there – if I’m not too knackered.

My cycling leg is finally in prototype form! I went for my 3rd fitting in Leicester last week and things are really moving on. My fitter, Christophe Cointet, was particularly pleased as he and his technician had managed to complete it a few days earlier than planned so I could take it down under for my training camp and competitions. Cheers guys!

It’s my first customer-made cycling prosthetic and it immediately feels more secure. I know it’s going to allow me to transmit loads more power than my current leg. It utilizes a simple valve within the liner that expels the air and allows for a secure fit. As this is a prototype, it currently weighs 1.7kg which is the same as my current leg and shoe, but the target weight for the final version is 1kg. This model is sparse on aerodynamic qualities, but the final version will be made as optimal as possible. The leg does away with a right shoe altogether and is built directly into a cleat system, which awesome for cycling but not good to walk in!

Have thank Christophe and his technicians in Leicester and Robert Shepherd from OttoBock for making this all possible - if I had to pay for this myself it would be in excess of £10,000. Tredz may be good but I don’t think they’d manage to fit that bill.
Posted by Jody