I use a new wheelchair every year. Fortunately, the Invacare Top End Corporation (http://www.topendwheelchair.com) in St. Petersburg, Florida, provides them without charge. Mine, the Top End Eliminator OSR is worth about $3,000.

Chris Peterson of Invacare always hand-builds my wheelchair. The length of the tubes, the slope of the wheels (13° in my case), and the width of the seat are all specially adjusted for me.

Built of aluminum, the chair weighs a scant 6 kilos!

The carbon wheels are produced in France by Corima and are worth more than $2,000.

The ultra-thin tires are inflated to 180 pounds of pressure (don’t try that on your bicycle!).

You make the chair go forward by pushing on these hoops. It’s all a matter of rhythm, strength and endurance.

The steering can be preset to match the angle of the lane I am racing in.

This tiny computer is an essential device that measures speed, time and distance.

The helmet is identical to those worn by cyclists. It is not mandatory for some short-distance races, but we wear one most of the time.

The glasses are obviously for protection, but, truth be told, they are also intended to intimidate the opponents!

The gloves provide a good grip, protect the hands and help the racer to push the hoops more efficiently.

Our racing wear is made of lightweight stretch Lycra. Depending on the temperature, we wear long sleeves, short sleeves, or no sleeves at all.

Wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc voted Canadian Press female athlete of the year 

2008-12-26 

When she's racing, Chantal Petitclerc's focus is always on winning. Becoming a role model for other athletes with disabilities is just part of the pri... read 

Chantal Petitclerc wins the 2008 Lou Marsh Award. 

2008-12-09 

Chantal Petitclerc has been named winner of the 2008 Lou Marsh Award.

The award, named after a longtime Toronto Star sports editor, goes to C... read