Al Michini
Salt Lake City, UT
Cycling

Al was born with cerebral palsy affecting the development of the right side of his body, causing his right arm and leg to be weaker than his left. "I've never viewed myself as disabled," says Al. "Being born with cerebral palsy is something I can't control, so I've tried to focus my energy on things I can control. That is why I love cycling."

Al's passion for cycling has helped establish him as one of the premier cyclists in America, earning himself the opportunity to compete against athletes with similar disabilities in the 2004 Paralympic Games scheduled for Sept. 17 - 28 in Athens, Greece. He will be one of 4,000 athletes from 125 countries to participate in the games, competing in four events: the road race, road time trial, 3-kilometer pursuit and the kilo.

Al's interest in cycling began in earnest in college where he raced for Penn State's cycling team. Since 1999, he has raced internationally, set an American record of 3 minutes 57 seconds in the 3-kilometer pursuit and won nine national championships.

Al competed in cycling at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games, but was unable to medal. His experience at the Sydney Games made Al realize he needed to add something to his training regimen. His home at the time was in Houston, but Houston lacked two things vital to improving his cycling skills: hills and altitude.

An opportunity to get the training he needed came in 2001 when he was offered an engineering position with Northwest Pipeline, a major distributor of natural gas in the rocky mountains and pacific northwest, in Salt Lake City. "I knew that Salt Lake City was just what I needed to improve my skills," says Al. "I loved Houston, but I needed to move to an area like Utah to really see where I could go with my cycling."

Not only was Utah a great place to train with its numerous canyon roads, varying temperatures and altitudes of 4,300 feet to 6,900 feet, it is also where Al met his wife, Elise. Elise has been extremely supportive of Al’s endeavors. “I could not train as hard as I do without her support”, he says.

His goal for Athens is to be in the top five in pursuit and time trial. And maybe top 3 in the road race. Whether or not he medals, Al knows he has already accomplished more than many athletes could ever dream. "I've been fortunate enough to have achieved a lot of success in my career, but medaling in Athens would be the highlight of it all."