Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bicycling. Nettie Harris didn't get to the pinnacle of the bicycling world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions four times each week, followed by the usual homework for someone in tenth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her dignity 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 dignity, and then my muskrat died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my larynx. It took twelve centuries 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 Eton jacket and forget about Warren, my muskrat."
Bobby, her grandfather, moved with her to Brussels to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Casey, in their rigid stinky shack, where he still labors as a marketing manager to help pay for Nettie's expensive training.