Cycling champion, Anna Meares OAM, is full of praise and admiration for all competitors at the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 and has a keen interest in the road cycling.
The Olympic legend and Invictus Games Sydney 2018 Ambassador watched on as the road cycling time trial and criterium were held at The Royal Botanic Garden on Sunday.
“I think it’s wonderful that the platform has been given through sport for servicemen and women to be role models and leaders,” said Meares.
“Even though they’re broken, they’ve rebuilt themselves and sport – cycling – is a great platform to do that.”
Meares got a taste for the challenges faced by our wounded warriors when she was lent a recumbent bike at an Australian team training camp in Adelaide.
“I went for a pedal with Garry (Robinson) and I was exhausted. I went a hundred metres one way and a hundred metres back. It was very comfortable to sit in there and ride, but you start to get a different feel for how vulnerable they are on the road, because of how low they are and the difficulty of being seen.
“It wasn’t easy. I had a lot of fun, being able to experience it from their perspective.”
Meares is one of 11 Invictus Games Sydney 2018 ambassadors who are committed to spreading the Invictus spirit in the community.
“Physical injury is one that we can see and measure. Mental and emotional injuries are ones that we cannot.”
The retired cyclist spent a lot of time speaking with competitors, family and friends and met some of the Integra Service Dogs.
Meares is keen to watch other events at the Invictus Games, including indoor rowing on Monday and powerlifting on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tickets for some sports still remain, so get in quick>>>
Invictus Games Sydney 2018