Strong arm tactics

‘It’s just a bike that has been flipped upside down,’ says paraathlete Mel Nicholls of her distinctive-looking handcycle. ‘The frame is made specially to be a handcycle, but the components are standard. I use the same as whatever works on any other bike.

‘I haven’t had many issues in finding bike mechanics to work on it,’ she adds. ‘It just takes someone who has an open mind and can work outside the box a little bit – although it can be quite interesting getting the gearing lined up because the chain and derailleur are upside down.’

Nicholls has been using her hands to propel herself around ever since a series of strokes,