PHOENIX, Ariz. – He blew right by me. On one leg.
It was Sunday morning. Mountainview Road. I was headed to Fountain Hills, to cycle its 10 and 18 percent grade hills. That’s 10 and 18 feet up, for every 100 feet forward. Steep.
But this was on the flats. And I didn’t even see him coming.
He was a jolly chap, spitting out a friendly “good morning,’’ as he went by. With the lilt of a British accent.
And he was a bit awkwardly positioned. He leaned right, to drive all his power into his left pedal.
He had no prosthetic second leg. Just one flesh and blood leg, on his left side. And he must have been going close to 25 mph.
I tried to catch him, but could not. When he turned at 120th Street, he was gone forever. No trace to be found of “one-legged British cyclist Phoenix, Arizona” on Google in a news search. Or searches, with different variants.
I did learn he – whoever he is – is not alone. There’s a fellow in Los Angeles, Felix Hackenberg, now 60 years old, who rides as much as 70 miles on a single leg, his right.
But the point is this. There have got to be lots of chief executives worldwide who are this inspiring. That run growing companies, with disabilities of various sorts that would keep most men or women on the couch.
Find those men and women. The disabled ones, who have found ways to lead growing companies.
I want to invest in them. If the ETF industry can produce something called the
Benchmarks of performance based on chief executives who succeed despite handicaps that would keep “sane” executives on the sidelines.
That’s what I want to put my money in.
