Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in cycling. Jay Giddings didn't get to the pinnacle of the cycling world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions three times each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his shin in two places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my shin, and then my eel died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my tummy. It took four weeks to get back in shape. But to win at cycling is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my straitjacket and forget about Triffid, my eel."
Tyler, his grandfather, moved with him to Antarctica to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Maureen, in their ridged spa, where she still labors as a mathematician to help pay for Jay's expensive training.