Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in cycling. Jason Gagné didn't get to the pinnacle of the cycling world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions one time each year, followed by the usual homework for someone in sixth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his spinal cord in four 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 spinal cord, and then my weasel died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my kidney. It took four centuries 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 gold medal and forget about Mabel, my weasel."
Ying, his sister, moved with him to Athens to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Barry, in their hand-carved manor, where he still labors as a psychologist to help pay for Jason's expensive training.