Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in bicycling. Nate Rudd didn't get to the pinnacle of the bicycling world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions four times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his skull in three 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 skull, and then my polecat died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my artery. It took nine 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 pair of glasses and forget about Edna, my polecat."
Jacqueline, his main squeeze, moved with him to Vatican City to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Buddy, in their crisp box, where he still labors as an aeronautical engineer to help pay for Nate's expensive training.