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Danny Chew

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Danny Chew
Personal information
Full nameDaniel Paul Chew
NicknameThe Million Mile Man[1]
Born (1962-08-26) August 26, 1962 (age 62)
Pittsburgh, United States
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st)
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad, Ultramarathon
RoleRider
Major wins
Race Across America (1996, 1999)

Daniel Paul "Danny" Chew (born August 26, 1962) is an American former professional road racing and ultramarathon cyclist who twice won the Race Across America.[2] He is also co-founder and promoter of the Dirty Dozen, an annual road bicycle race over Pittsburgh's thirteen steepest hills.[3] Chew is a 2014 inductee into the UltraCycling Hall of Fame.[4]

Early life and amateur career

Chew started cycling in 1971 at age 9, after being introduced to the sport by his older sister.[5] His parents and older brother were also cyclists, and Chew began accompanying his family on recreational touring rides that year.[6] He completed his first 200-mile event the following year in 1972, riding the Midwest Double Century in Lima, Ohio with his family.[7][8]

Professional career

Chew turned professional in 1985[9] and finished 12th in that year's national championship road race, the Corestates USPro in Philadelphia.[10] He was 25th the following year,[11] and 16th in 1987. Chew rode as an independent or free-agent professional without team support in all three appearances.

In 1994, Chew switched his competitive focus from traditional road cycling to ultra-distance cycling events. That year he placed 4th in his debut at the transcontinental Race Across America (RAAM). He was second at RAAM in 1995,[12] and won the following year.[13] He also won the 1999 RAAM, an experience he described as "tiredness beyond belief."[14] Chew is an eight-time solo RAAM finisher.[15]

Personal life

On September 4, 2016, around noon, Chew was seriously injured when he had vertigo while riding and crashed into a drainage ditch on Kennard Road near Lodi, Ohio.[16] He was initially diagnosed with a broken neck and possible paralysis.[17] The following month, Dr. Elliot Roth of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago confirmed that Chew was permanently paralyzed from the chest down and would never walk again.[18] Despite having contemplated suicide in the weeks immediately following his accident, Chew suggested during the final days of his hospital stay that he would resume his goal of riding one million lifetime miles, albeit aboard a handcycle.[19]

Before his accident in 2016, Chew was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.[18] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1987.[1] [20]

Major results

1994
4th - Race Across America
1995
2nd - Race Across America
1996
1st - Race Across America
1997
2nd - Race Across America
1998
4th - Race Across America
1999
1st - Race Across America
2000
2nd - Race Across America
2001
3rd - Race Across America

References

  1. ^ a b Price, Karen (January 22, 2010). "Million Mile Man Chew completes an epic trip". Trib Live. Trib Total Media, LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  2. ^ Brooks, Karen (September 8, 2016). "Bike Accident Leaves 'Million-Mile Man' Paralyzed". Bicycling. Rodale Inc. Retrieved November 25, 2016. "Million-Mile Man" Danny Chew, promoter of the Dirty Dozen race and two-time RAAM winner...
  3. ^ Hamill, Sean D. (November 27, 2011). "Defying the Dirty Dozen: Cyclists take on steepest of Pittsburgh's steep hills". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing Co., Inc. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  4. ^ "UltraCycling Hall of Fame - Career excellence and service to the sport". ultracycling.com. UltraMarathon Cycling Association. July 23, 2014. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  5. ^ Meinzer, Melissa (May 10, 2007). "Life Cycle - For Danny Chew, it's all about the bike". Pittsburgh City Paper. Steel City Media. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  6. ^ Hamill, Sean D. (October 22, 2015). "Bicyclist Danny Chew: He Runs Pittsburgh's 'Dirty Dozen' Race". Pittsburgh Magazine. WiesnerMedia. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  7. ^ Kelly, Jack (December 20, 2006). "Serious bicyclist aims for a million miles before it's all over". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing Co., Inc. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  8. ^ Donahue, Bill (November 22, 2016). "Danny Chew Won't Let Paralysis Keep Him From Riding 1,000,000 Miles". Outside. Mariah Media Network, LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  9. ^ Zingaro, John (June 5, 1986). "Matt Eaton is gearing up for pro cycling championships". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 16. Retrieved November 25, 2016. Pittsburgh's Dan Chew, making his pro debut...
  10. ^ Zingaro, John (June 4, 1987). "Dr. Bike". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 10. Retrieved November 23, 2016. He was the top free agent in the 1985 Corestates, finishing 12th...
  11. ^ Zingaro, John (June 19, 1986). "Dan Chew is 25th at U.S. cycling championship". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 13. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  12. ^ Solano, Javier (August 20, 1996). "Port Orange Cyclist Surveys His Future Path". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  13. ^ Bergquist, Lee (May 15, 2009). Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete (1 ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. p. 166. ISBN 978-0736074919. Retrieved November 25, 2016. 1996 Race Across America Chew.
  14. ^ "Race Across America: "It's tiredness beyond belief" Pennsylvanian Chews up field for second RAAM title". savannahnow.com. Savannah Morning News. July 31, 1999. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  15. ^ Adelson, Andrea (August 16, 2009). "Longwood's Steven Perezluha, 18, journeys to Alaska - and back - on his bike". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  16. ^ Bowden, Alex (September 6, 2016). "Two-time RAAM winner left paralysed after breaking neck in crash". road.cc. Farrelly Atkinson (F-At) Limited. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  17. ^ Hamill, Sean D. (September 6, 2016). "Dirty Dozen founder Danny Chew paralyzed in bike accident". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing Co. p. A-1. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Hamill, Sean D. (November 18, 2016). "Twist of fate flips the role for iconic Pittsburgh cyclist Danny Chew". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing Co. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  19. ^ Reid, Liz (November 25, 2016). "Now Paralyzed, Iconic Cyclist Danny Chew Plans For 30 More Years Of Biking". 90.5 WESA. Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved November 25, 2016. Chew said the first few weeks after his accident were hard; he even contemplated suicide. But now, with less than two weeks until he leaves the hospital, his focus has once again turned to his million-mile goal.
  20. ^ Rank, Katy (Spring 2007). "Homecoming: Million-Mile Man". Pitt Magazine. University of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on September 9, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
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