Produced in association with MAAP
Meg Fisher rides for more. Every time she gets on her bike, she does so with the type of unwavering determination that can only be fostered by the experiences she has had. It is the sort of drive which is born not from a desire just to stand on the top step of the podium or get a personal best in her power numbers – it’s a need to create change. To challenge perceptions. To blaze a trail. To make things better for those who will come after her. Meg Fisher pedals with a purpose.
It is this very stubborn ambition which made it possible for the American woman to recover from the accident which caused her to have her leg amputated to win one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal in the Paralympics. It is this which made her able to ride 200 miles of Unbound gravel despite the searing pain in her joints. It is this which made her climb the tallest mountain in the world, when doctors told her she may not walk again. Fisher’s story is one of terrible hardship turned into a force for good by a woman with more strength than most of us can fathom.
“When I was 19, my first love and I were in a car accident that rolled eight and a half times, and she died,” Fisher explains from her home in Missoula, Montana. “I spent some time in a coma, had to have brain surgery, and then when I woke up and looked down and saw something that was truly my vehicle, my legs, one of them was gone. I was just like, What am I going to do? Who am I?
“People kept telling me what I couldn't do or what I shouldn't expect to do. I was told to keep my expectations low, so I said: ‘I'm going to prove you wrong.’ I think as I get older – I'm in my early 40s – I'm realising that I have this opportunity to make things better for the people who come behind me. When I was first injured I didn't get to see anybody that looked like me, but that is what enables you to be an athlete.”
Fisher’s first competitive triathlon came just 11 months after her second amputation and stint in hospital, from which she was sent home with a poor prognosis from healthcare professionals about the likelihood of her ever being mobile again. However, as a born athlete who comes from two parents with a sporting background, Fisher was determined to keep doing what she loved.
Photo: Avery Stumm
“I wanted to find sports again. I wanted to find my identity. So I thought about ‘what would people say I can’t do?’ That was a triathlon – doing three sports in one day. I borrowed a bike, and I swam with one leg. My whole goal was not to be last, and I was seventh from last. It turns out if you want to do it, you can do it,” Fisher says.
“And so I did my first triathlon. A few months later, though, I had another setback and I was in a wheelchair and on crutches. I was given a service dog and she pulled my wheelchair. I saw people riding mountain bikes with their dog and I thought maybe I could do that with her. I met people through mountain biking with my dog, and then they invited me to 24-hour mountain bike races. I was on their team, and we won.”
This was the start of a string of ‘firsts’ that, as we will come to learn, has been a trend throughout Fisher’s sporting career. Once she discovered a community from mountain biking, the American woman became the first female para-athlete to ever compete in an Xterra off-road triathlon, before going on to win World Championship titles in the women’s paratriathlon in both 2009 and 2013. The Paralympic success came in London 2012 and Rio 2016 in both the road time trial C4 and individual pursuit C4 events.
“In London it was electric. I remember when I left the Olympic Village, and I still had my credentials around my neck I got mobbed in Piccadilly Circus station, people were giving me high fives on the escalators. It was the coolest thing,” Fisher smiles. “I remember the atmosphere in the velodrome, everything was sold out and Prince William and Kate were there – one of my favourite stories is my mom going so nuts and getting their attention, so the Prince went and looked for her and got to meet her. It was such a unique experience.”
It is not lost on Fisher that the attention her sport garners during landmark moments like the Paralympics are few and far between. She is aware that media coverage needs to be more consistent and regular to drive true fan engagement with parasports globally.
“It was shocking to be in London, have all of this excitement and then to come back to the States and just be nothing. You still have to walk the dog, pay your mortgage, your bank doesn’t accept gold medals as collateral,” Fisher says. “But I think there has been changes, and it’s the same with women’s sport – I feel like that’s having a moment right now. I think there was something in the 2020 Olympics where people leant into diversity more and told more stories.”
One of Fisher’s main motivations in the space she now occupies – largely the gravel racing scene – is to push for coverage and equal opportunities for para-athletes. Often, this means her breaking barriers by being the only female para-athlete on the start list of events – Fisher became the US National Gravel Champion in the C4 category earlier this year (she was the only competitor on the start list, but firmly believes she is setting an example by taking part.) Pushing for para categories to be recognised in more gravel events is something that drives Fisher’s mission forward.
“Personally, I do want to make a living as a cyclist. I do want to be able to save for retirement but I am in my 40s so I know that by the time this is possible, it may not be for me but at least it will be for the people that come next,” Fisher explains. “I’m grateful for the opportunities I get to be having conversations and be out there in the media. In many ways, I do feel like I come up against a wall a lot of times, but eventually, if I keep hitting on that wall, it will fall, just maybe not for me. It might be a success for the next generation.”
Fisher has been actively engaging in discussions with the UCI (the sport’s governing body) regarding getting para-categories included in UCI-sanctioned gravel events, but believes there is a long road ahead to achieve real change.
“There'll be a new rule about sock height before there will be a rule about inclusivity,” Fisher says with a wry smile. “The UCI isn’t the be all and end all either, I have got categories into mountain biking and gravel and so it’s thinking about how we push that into everything. How do we make it normal? USA Cycling now has categories in the Gravel Nationals, it’s moving in the right direction.
“I push hard to get para-categories into racing so that people get visibility. If they go back to their community and say ‘oh, my colleague's son uses a wheelchair’ or ‘my nephew has an impairment' and ‘do they want to come and ride a bike with me?’ That is success. Just because people experience setbacks, doesn’t mean they need to hide in the shadows.”
Image: Gretchen Powers
Gravel event series like Grinduro have introduced para-categories thanks to Fisher’s lobbying and she is passionate about encouraging more organisers to do the same. In recent years, she says that she has noticed that para-categories are steadily being introduced organically, but knows the work is far from done. As one person, however, Fisher can’t do it all.
“I do this in my spare time so I can’t make it all perfect. I know everyone is busy and we don’t all have the bandwidth. I’m always happy to be the first person to do anything, but I can’t go to all these events so I want to create these categories and bring other people to them,” Fisher explains. “My next goals are to create events internationally and partner with organisations to increase participation. I just want there to be more opportunities for people around the world to see themselves reflected.”
Fisher also stresses that her resolution to create change is fuelled by an understanding of her own fragility. She still experiences pain and setbacks as a result of her amputation and is on a mission to make every day she gets to spend with the ability to walk, count.
“I've had these ups and downs. For example, in 2020 I had a blood clot and was on the couch for six weeks, and then I didn't know afterwards if I'd be able to walk,” Fisher reflects. “I have a wheelchair in my garage. I have crutches every day. I know one of these days something's gonna happen and I won't be able to do anything again. I feel that in my bones.”
The legacy and footprint that Fisher will leave behind one day on the sporting world is greater than any medals or trophies could represent. It’s the example of someone who has used a tragic setback as an inspiring force for good, making a real difference for those who will follow in her footsteps. Representation matters, and Fisher fervently understands that. This is what keeps her moving forwards.
“I've climbed the tallest mountain in the world. I keep surprising myself with what I can do,” Fisher smiles. “I have these academic degrees, I have these many World Championship titles, I have done these challenging cycling events and I hope that people will realise if you can see a one-legged girl doing it, you can do it too, if you want. If I can, you can.”
Cover image: Robert Barranco
