Roundup: Chris Murphy Rides Happily Into His Final World Championships

Every other week we scour the web for the latest going on in the world of U.S. Para-cycling. Here’s what you missed!

A Final Ride

The 2023 season is a last hurrah, of sorts, for two-time Paralympian Chris Murphy.

He competed in his final planned national championships earlier in July in Carson, California, and his last world championships competition will come in August in Glasgow, Scotland.

“That’s a wrap! My last national championships brought a lot of new experiences,” Murphy wrote on his Instagram account. “I accidentally ran a bigger gear than intended in my first race and pulled my rear wheel in my last race. …

Murphy went on to explain why he’s retiring from cycling.

“I feel it’s time for me to move on from prioritizing high performance and shifting to making an impact on the world in different ways,” he wrote. “It’s been an amazing ride competing for Team USA. I hope to show my best performance at my last race!”

Celebrating Being Cancer Free

Jamie Whitmore, a two-time Paralympic medalist, hit a huge number recently: 15 years free of cancer.

Whitmore wrote on her Instagram account that when she was first diagnosed, she wasn’t sure if she would live to see this day.

“Everyone’s cancer story is different,” she wrote. “For me it felt like I was in an octagon fighting an invisible opponent. I kept taking hits and was often pinned down but had no ability to fight back because I couldn’t see it. Nothing I did seemed to matter.”

Despite plenty of dark days and times of doubt, Whitmore is blessed to be where she is today.

“The day has come! 15 years cancer free! The day I wondered if I would ever see! It’s a truly emotional day as I’ve lost friends and family along the way to this ugly disease. But it’s a day worth celebrating because I beat that invisible opponent who tried to take so much from me. It’s a day I don’t take for granted. These last 15 years have truly been a blessing that I will never be able to adequately express with words!”

She celebrated the momentous day with some her favorite things: spending time with friends and family, biking, going to the beach, and watching a movie.

Helping Adaptive Athletes

Oksana Masters, a 17-time Paralympic medalist who will compete in this year’s UCI Cycling World Championships, was honored to participate in The Hartford Nationals, which Move United hosted July 8-14 in Hoover, Alabama.

“There’s no greater feeling than seeing the moments when an athlete realizes they have their very own custom adaptive sports equipment that was built just for them,” Masters wrote on Instagram.

“Last week I got to witness so many incredible athletes compete at The Hartford Nationals conducted by @moveunitedsport but, my favorite moments of the event were the ones I look forward to most as a team @thehartford athlete, and that’s surprising 3 individuals with their very custom adaptive sports equipment … I can’t wait to see where this new custom adaptive sports equipment takes these athletes.”

Here’s a look at some of the action from The Hartford Nationals:

On The Track

Two-time Paralympic medalist Samantha Bosco took to the track at the VELO Sports Center in Carson, California, for the USA Cycling Track National Championships.

“Hit the boards for a few minutes — less than eight total minutes to be exact — last week at track nationals,” Bosco posted on Instagram. “Silly of me to keep thinking a shorter TT effort would hurt less.”

Next up for Bosco is Glasgow, where she’ll be looking to add to the 15 medals she’s won in her world championships career.

Happy Birthday, Mom

Shawn Morelli, a three-time Paralympic gold medalist, shared a birthday treat with her mom one recent day.

“Happy Birthday to best mom ever!!!” Morelli posted on Instagram.

Paul D. Bowker has been writing about Olympic and Paralympic sports since 1996, when he was an assistant bureau chief in Atlanta. He is a freelance contributor to USParaCycling.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.