He’s a super-fast barista, has beaten anorexia, and has run 5000 metres for Australia. He’s in full-time training for the 2020 road cycling world championships.
He is 17-years-old.
And he is blind.
He is Ben Said and he’s a member of Manly Warringah Cycling Club. And you’ll be hearing more of him.
Said was born with optical pathway tumours in his right eye. When he was 15 he was stretching out in a running race when an elastic band snapped off his foot and whipped into his left one. His optic nerve was damaged. He now has less than 20 per cent peripheral vision in the left eye.
“But nothing can stop me,” according to Said.
And it's hard to argue.
Tandem Terror: Ben Said and pilot tearing it up at the Australian Institute of Sport
Said has just won the NSW Para Road Championships. He’s in full-time, twice-a-day training for the national championships and looking to qualify for world championships.
His further goals are 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2024 Olympics.
If anything, he needs to slow down.
“I started running because of a mental health condition - I was anorexic,” reveals Said. “I lost of ton of weight through fitness.
“Now, though, I eat to train. And I’m getting on really well.
“My coach, though, James Lamb is constantly telling me to cut back.
"But I love it.”
Said began riding a bike as all kids do, effectively as a way to get from A-to-B. A champion runner, he was in training for the 5000m at the Paralympics when injury forced him to give it away.
He hopped straight onto a bike. And nearly ripped off a Paralympic qualifying time on his first go.
Said competes on the back of a tandem bike with a “pilot” to steer and provide momentum. But the rider on the back is the driving force. Said’s legs drive the back wheel. He is the engine.
Said admits he does miss riding a bike on his own.
“It can get me down, for sure. But when you have such great pilots and you’re part of such an amazing club, it’s really good."
He can hug his dog Jonty (below) and call up some mates.
Best Mates: Jonty and Ben.
And then there is ... The Zwift.
Most of Said’s “hard-core sessions” are indoor on a Wahoo stationary machine with virtual “tracks” appearing on a screen via the Zwift app. Said can thus ride a Tour de France leg, tear through the streets of London or power up the hills of San Francisco.
The machine simulates inclines, declines, headwinds and “drafting” – when riders are lined up aerodynamically behind one another.
It also simulates freedom.
“It allows me to feel like I’m riding on my own again,” says Said. “A lot of riders hate the thing. For me it means I can ride by myself. I really enjoy it.”
Out on the road Said’s main route is Dee Why, Church Point, Palm Beach and back. He’ll do Bobbin Head, Akuna Bay and West Head. He’s up around the Central Coast a lot. His favourite ride is “Three Gorges” – Dee Why to Bobbin Head, Galston Gorge, Berowra Waters, and back down the Pacific Highway.
A goal is to ride a sub-4:50 lap of the 3.8km Centennial Park circuit, average speed 55km/h.
In an effort session he’ll ride 40km. A long ride is 90-150k. A "recovery" ride is 40-60km. He does strength and core training. Lot of cross-training. He is one with the ergo.
“I like to see how far I can push by body, see what my limit is. And then try to beat it,” he says. “In running, I never used to enjoy the pain. In cycling I actually enjoy it. You can turn off and see how far you can drive your body through pain.”
Ask many 17-year-olds what their plans for after school – Said’s a St Luke’s Grammar boy - and chances are they may not know. No knock on them – how would you?
Said however has things mapped out.
“I want to take two years off and build a solid training base. I’m looking for a job and to get some money behind me. I’m a qualified barista. In fact I was the fastest in my course.
“Down the track I’d like to go to UTS and do a Bachelor of Sports Management, majoring in marketing.”
The national championships begin early January. He’s hoping to have raised enough for a new bike by then.
“One of my favourite athletes is Eliud Kipchoge,” says Said. “He ran the first sub-2 hour marathon. His most famous quote is ‘no human being is limited’. I like to train by that.
“I’m really appreciative for all the help I receive from the club. I can’t drive down the road. But with a bit of help I can do anything. ”
To help Ben raise $7000 for a new tandem bike, check out his Go Fund Me page.
Ben would like to thank sponsors Chill Bar in Dee Why, Fitness First Australia and Sticky Bottle Bike Shop.
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