Ted cycling to glory

Ted cycling to glory

8 June 2016

A BALLYNAHINCH man intends taking the world of hand cycling by storm.

Sixty-eight year-old former soccer legend Ted McKibben started hand cycling three years ago after being paralysed form the waist down following a road accident.

Ted and his machine are regularly seen on the roads in and around Newcastle and Ballynahinch.

Initially, he got involved in hand cycling just to get out and about, but the old competitive bug that bit him as a footballer with Drumaness Mills, Dromara Village, Killyleagh YC and Ballynahinch United, returned with a vengeance.

Ted recently bought a custom-made racing bike and he now intends taking part in organised races.

“There are only so many newspapers you can read or programmes you can watch on television and I just love getting out on to the roads,” he said.

“I have taken part in a few half marathons as there are no races for hand cycling in Northern Ireland, but I am eyeing up races in Dublin and Kerry.

“Road users show me nothing but respect when I am out on the bike. I don’t like sitting in the house all day and love taking myself off somewhere.

Ted can clock up 50 miles a day without breaking sweat and he’s now gearing up to tackling the racing scene in the Republic.