Odysseasthe cyclist
the amputee cycling champion
BICYCLE TOURS EXPERT
training programs for amputees
Odysseas ( 52) is a man who speaks with passion, about his chosen profession of cycling and its benefits for the disable, about life on Crete with its traditions, its magnificent landscape and the cycling tours he organizes here. And about his mission to promote peace through his cycling Marathons, raising funds and awareness to those affected through conflict, especially amputee children.
Originally from a small town of Hellenic Macedonia, he was an active 14year old, holding the 100meters record for his age, and also enjoying long jump and cycling. However, this passion for athletics was cut short by a motor accident when he was 18. He suddenly found himself undergoing amputation of his leg and lengthy sessions to fit a prosthetic. As a student, living 10 miles from his university and with an evening job to pay for his studies, he needed to become mobile again. He had dermatological problems with his stump and the disturbance to his pelvic muscles affected his balance. He also missed the freedom that running had given him. The answer, learning to cycle again. What the wheelchair is for the paraplegic, the cycle is for an amputee. When he begun cycling in Thessaloniki in 1987, cycling was not generally available for the disable in Greece, and he was the first to publicize the benefits. ( it was not also popular for the general public). Now hundreds of people are enjoying cycling there and a good number of disable are involved in cycling.
“Cycling became part of my life” he says.
Originally from a small town of Hellenic Macedonia, he was an active 14year old, holding the 100meters record for his age, and also enjoying long jump and cycling. However, this passion for athletics was cut short by a motor accident when he was 18. He suddenly found himself undergoing amputation of his leg and lengthy sessions to fit a prosthetic. As a student, living 10 miles from his university and with an evening job to pay for his studies, he needed to become mobile again. He had dermatological problems with his stump and the disturbance to his pelvic muscles affected his balance. He also missed the freedom that running had given him. The answer, learning to cycle again. What the wheelchair is for the paraplegic, the cycle is for an amputee. When he begun cycling in Thessaloniki in 1987, cycling was not generally available for the disable in Greece, and he was the first to publicize the benefits. ( it was not also popular for the general public). Now hundreds of people are enjoying cycling there and a good number of disable are involved in cycling.
“Cycling became part of my life” he says.
From 1996 onwards he started promoting cycling through Marathons in Crete, but it was in 1999 that his public profile increased when he started a cycling Marathon, dedicated to peace, from Ierapetra, here in Crete to Serbia ( a distance of 1485kms ).
His intention was to donate his bike to a young Serbian boy, whose leg had been amputated as a result of the bombing. Despite the theft of his bike in Thessaloniki, which attracted widespread media coverage, he was able to donate bicycles to several amputee children in Serbia and still maintains conduct with them. He was since made other journeys, including cycling from Ancient Olympia to Istanbul in 2000,where among others he gave speeches to university and high school students, from Plakias, Creta to FYROM in 2001 and from Ancient Olympia to Cyprus in 2002.
All these Marathons have been made as “a messenger of Peace” .
Thirteen years ago he started offering bicycle tours and training,initially to the disabled, and his talks about the benefits of cycling for the disabled inspired the first ever group of cyclists to get together. He receives about one call a month from amputees, with questions, or bookings for initial training sessions with him to build confidence and knowledge. The prosthetic used for walking, for example, needs to be adopted for cycling, and many cyclists keep a second one for this purpose. As Odysseas himself says, the search is always on for a better, stronger prosthetic. He has changed his twenty times, pushing the technology to its limits and sometimes breaking the prosthetic in the process.
In his aim to raise awareness and financial help for amputee children in Lebanon, Palestine, he will be taking part in a Marathon, cycling non stop for 24hrs later this year, as part of the World Disability Awareness Day on 3rd of December. As he ruefully comments, this is the only day that Greek television finds time to mention disability in the news. He is hoping to develop a program, in order to bring Palestinian and Israeli children here to teach them how to cycle, “. He sees himself as “the cyclist of peace- I do not like to differentiate between people and cultures”.
His sporting achievements are not confined to cycling, they also include paralympics. After adjusting to his prosthetic, he trained to become a very successful disabled athlete, becoming Greek champion for the kinetically disabled in the 100m and long jump from 1995 to 99 ( 10th and 6th accordingly in the European championship in 1997 in Madrid).
He also promoted and organized other sports, for example volleyball, captaining the National volley ball team.
As a private person, he has often repressed his emotions and those who didn’t know him would only see the strong character and not the sad, melancholic side. The ignorance about disability issues here and lack of sensitivity and understanding, has caused him much frustration in his drive to achieve his dreams and goals. An interest in many subjects, however including yoga, meditation, history, philosophy and spirituality, helped him cope on the days when he felt down and continue to do so. Living in close conduct with nature, he feels helps overcome anything. He says he is a different person since he lost leg and now has a different approach to life, to health, to relationships. He compares losing his leg to a near death experience and feels that he was being asked to use the experience to become a better man.
He has chosen to live in Crete, called by the spiritual and heroic quality of the island. He speaks with enthusiasm about the local traditions, where to find authentic, freshly cooked food, where to see products being made in the old fashioned way. And what better way to see them and to enjoy this spectacular scenery than from a bicycle? He has spent the last 15yrs exploring, taking time to talk with locals, but especially listening to the elder people. From this he has absorbed a fascinating breadth of knowledge about places, people, food, herbs,
myths and legends.
His intention was to donate his bike to a young Serbian boy, whose leg had been amputated as a result of the bombing. Despite the theft of his bike in Thessaloniki, which attracted widespread media coverage, he was able to donate bicycles to several amputee children in Serbia and still maintains conduct with them. He was since made other journeys, including cycling from Ancient Olympia to Istanbul in 2000,where among others he gave speeches to university and high school students, from Plakias, Creta to FYROM in 2001 and from Ancient Olympia to Cyprus in 2002.
All these Marathons have been made as “a messenger of Peace” .
Thirteen years ago he started offering bicycle tours and training,initially to the disabled, and his talks about the benefits of cycling for the disabled inspired the first ever group of cyclists to get together. He receives about one call a month from amputees, with questions, or bookings for initial training sessions with him to build confidence and knowledge. The prosthetic used for walking, for example, needs to be adopted for cycling, and many cyclists keep a second one for this purpose. As Odysseas himself says, the search is always on for a better, stronger prosthetic. He has changed his twenty times, pushing the technology to its limits and sometimes breaking the prosthetic in the process.
In his aim to raise awareness and financial help for amputee children in Lebanon, Palestine, he will be taking part in a Marathon, cycling non stop for 24hrs later this year, as part of the World Disability Awareness Day on 3rd of December. As he ruefully comments, this is the only day that Greek television finds time to mention disability in the news. He is hoping to develop a program, in order to bring Palestinian and Israeli children here to teach them how to cycle, “. He sees himself as “the cyclist of peace- I do not like to differentiate between people and cultures”.
His sporting achievements are not confined to cycling, they also include paralympics. After adjusting to his prosthetic, he trained to become a very successful disabled athlete, becoming Greek champion for the kinetically disabled in the 100m and long jump from 1995 to 99 ( 10th and 6th accordingly in the European championship in 1997 in Madrid).
He also promoted and organized other sports, for example volleyball, captaining the National volley ball team.As a private person, he has often repressed his emotions and those who didn’t know him would only see the strong character and not the sad, melancholic side. The ignorance about disability issues here and lack of sensitivity and understanding, has caused him much frustration in his drive to achieve his dreams and goals. An interest in many subjects, however including yoga, meditation, history, philosophy and spirituality, helped him cope on the days when he felt down and continue to do so. Living in close conduct with nature, he feels helps overcome anything. He says he is a different person since he lost leg and now has a different approach to life, to health, to relationships. He compares losing his leg to a near death experience and feels that he was being asked to use the experience to become a better man.
He has chosen to live in Crete, called by the spiritual and heroic quality of the island. He speaks with enthusiasm about the local traditions, where to find authentic, freshly cooked food, where to see products being made in the old fashioned way. And what better way to see them and to enjoy this spectacular scenery than from a bicycle? He has spent the last 15yrs exploring, taking time to talk with locals, but especially listening to the elder people. From this he has absorbed a fascinating breadth of knowledge about places, people, food, herbs,
myths and legends.
He is now sharing this wealth of information with clients of his cycling tours business,
based in Rethymno.
Aware that the older style of tourism is vanishing and that many holiday companies center their holidays around large hotels on the north coast, he is keen to make the hidden beauty of Crete accessible.
Tours range from the beginner’s level suitable for all ages and abilities, up to more advanced and longer outings, which may be personalized to customers’ needs. Such is the trip to Mount Psiloritis, including a visit to Zeus cave, with the unforgettable experience of descending 48kms from an altitude of 1250meters. Another tour takes in the history of the area around Minoan Lappa, now Argiroupolis, in the heart of Rethymno region, including cycling part of the way along a Minoan track way, and visiting one of the oldest trees of Crete(3000yrs old) mentioned by the historian and geographer Pausanias .
A support car accompanies all tours for cyclists who need to take a breather “en route”. Odysseas is cycling alongside for those whose muscles may not have been challenged by anything stiffer than the walk to the nearest taverna and who need a little encouragement to finish the inevitable small amount of uphill riding.
Coupled with his passion for cycling is his interest in environmental issues. He has also acted as the representative for the Greek wetland center in Preveli and he has been a correspondent for the Ornithological Society of Greece.
He sees sharing this knowledge of local wildlife, especially endangered species, as an important part of his bicycle tours, and maintains the “ small is beautiful ” ethos of sustainable tourism by restricting numbers on tours to a maximum of 7 - 12 people
A support car accompanies all tours for cyclists who need to take a breather “en route”. Odysseas is cycling alongside for those whose muscles may not have been challenged by anything stiffer than the walk to the nearest taverna and who need a little encouragement to finish the inevitable small amount of uphill riding.
Coupled with his passion for cycling is his interest in environmental issues. He has also acted as the representative for the Greek wetland center in Preveli and he has been a correspondent for the Ornithological Society of Greece.
He sees sharing this knowledge of local wildlife, especially endangered species, as an important part of his bicycle tours, and maintains the “ small is beautiful ” ethos of sustainable tourism by restricting numbers on tours to a maximum of 7 - 12 people
( depending on the tour-minimum 3 persons).
This stems partly from an awareness of the safety of his customers, and also enables him to create a deeper level of contact for participants’ enjoyment . He researches itineraries carefully, choosing older roads and tracks for a more peaceful, traffic -free ride.
His aim is to inform but not overwhelm his cycling clients.
Tours include an opportunity to take a plunge in the crystal clear waters of the springs of Megas river
in the Kourtaliotis gorge,
or to snorkel over
the underwater Minoan city of Apollonia , for example.
His business has brought him many new friends, among them 35 Belgian children who recently enjoyed a magical time in his company, learning about the many fascinating aspects of Cretan life and coming into close contact with the land itself. At least four more groups are booked for next spring.
the underwater Minoan city of Apollonia , for example.His business has brought him many new friends, among them 35 Belgian children who recently enjoyed a magical time in his company, learning about the many fascinating aspects of Cretan life and coming into close contact with the land itself. At least four more groups are booked for next spring.
Other clients have included dietologists from American universities researching the currently popular Cretan diet.
He is now organizing week - long tours for the fall and spring, a whole package aimed at the out of season traveler, with an itinerary covering among other places, Chania, Milia, Elafonisi, Paleochora,
He is now organizing week - long tours for the fall and spring, a whole package aimed at the out of season traveler, with an itinerary covering among other places, Chania, Milia, Elafonisi, Paleochora,
Sfakia, Rethymno, Argyroupolis, Preveli, Amari, Eleutherna and Psiloritis.
He will be starting an educational program with primary school children in the city, while continuing maintaining and developing his tours.
He sees cycling as a way of bringing all visitors and residents into closer contact with the natural splendor of the island, while lessening the inevitable environmental impact of tourism.
He will also continue to raise awareness of disability issues, as he is keenly aware of the need to educate people about social exclusion experienced by those with disabilities, and also the need to make sporting opportunities more widely available. Statistics show that approximately half of road traffic accident victims in Greece are left permanently disabled. Odysseas is a role model for those who have been left with such a legacy.
Odysseas is also an inspiration to those who visit Crete, or have the good fortune to live here, and who wish to enjoy the beauty of the island without contributing to the pollution and destruction that often accompany modern development.
For those interested in exploring Crete on a bicycle in the company of a fascinating and well-informed guide,or even by themselves with all the information necessary ,
contact details are…
Odysseas Savvopoulos,
He will be starting an educational program with primary school children in the city, while continuing maintaining and developing his tours.
He sees cycling as a way of bringing all visitors and residents into closer contact with the natural splendor of the island, while lessening the inevitable environmental impact of tourism.
He will also continue to raise awareness of disability issues, as he is keenly aware of the need to educate people about social exclusion experienced by those with disabilities, and also the need to make sporting opportunities more widely available. Statistics show that approximately half of road traffic accident victims in Greece are left permanently disabled. Odysseas is a role model for those who have been left with such a legacy.
Odysseas is also an inspiration to those who visit Crete, or have the good fortune to live here, and who wish to enjoy the beauty of the island without contributing to the pollution and destruction that often accompany modern development.
For those interested in exploring Crete on a bicycle in the company of a fascinating and well-informed guide,or even by themselves with all the information necessary ,
contact details are…
Odysseas Savvopoulos,
