Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bicycling. Celeste Nguyen didn't get to the pinnacle of the bicycling world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for three grueling sessions three times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her knee in two places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my knee, and then my mule died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my stomach. It took ten eternities to get back in shape. But to win at bicycling is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my set of braces and forget about Waldo, my mule."
Wes, her aunt, moved with her to St. Paul to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Desmond, in their dusty chateau, where he still labors as a computer geek to help pay for Celeste's expensive training.