How Tom Wheeler’s hospital dream transformed adaptive mountain biking

Since first creating his braces, Wheeler’s designs have received worldwide attention.

“It became clear pretty quickly that this thing didn’t exist. Almost immediately I was reaching out to people saying ‘I want what you’ve got,'” he said.

“So that’s kind of what I’m trying to do. Just get people around the world in adaptive set-ups.”

One of them is former Wales para-athlete Morgan Jones.

After finishing fourth in the T47 100m track sprint at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia’s Gold Coast, Jones discovered mountain biking during the Covid pandemic.

Jones said: “I was into riding myself and started looking for advice or support on how to get the most out of riding with one arm. It changed my riding.”

Jones uses a type of hand designed by Wheeler: “It integrates with my existing prosthesis and then gives me control over the (handle) bar that I didn’t have before.

“I currently hold the title of Top Tester, which means I’m the most frequent crasher!”

Jones said technology has changed the way he rides.

“I feel a lot more confident with it, able to keep up with my mates in a way I never did before,” she added.

Meanwhile for Wheeler, 15 years after the accident that changed his life, things are better than ever.

He said: “I still have to pinch myself. I can do things now that I never thought would be possible.”