And she's cute too. What's not to like about this story?

was hit by a bicycle last year while training in her wheelchair for the 2012 London Paralympics...

suffered nerve damage during a routine ankle operation and was paralyzed from the hip down...

also sustained a spinal cord injury in 2008, when she was struck by a car while hand cycling through Amsterdam...

a near-crash the first time she cautiously climbed aboard a racing bicycle...

If it weren't for bad luck, this lady would have no luck at all. Hope her parents got a good malpractice settlement from the doctors who did the ankle operation.

/I'd ride it

I find it hard to believe that was in a wheelchair that long and could gain the muscle mass in her legs to become an Olympic athlete in two years.

Applauds, oh wait . . .

Do most paralympic just let their paralyzed muscles die? I would assume that part of her training would involve those rehab machines that work out paralyzed muscles, so while her leg muscle may not be as strong as someone walking or riding every day, she doesnt lack leg strength.

So she gets paralyzed by a botched surgery, then super crippled by a cycling accident (though afterwords she remained more athletic than my ass), then becomes a normie again from ANOTHER accident, and now wants to cycle again? Maybe someone's trying to tell you cycling isn't your thing. You're pretty good looking, just fix that hair so you have a little less five head and get into porn. This reminds me of that Family Guy christmas episode where Joe wrecks skiing and can walk again and immediately is re-crippled.

nothing makes me feel more lazy than this.

howdyyall9999: I find it hard to believe that was in a wheelchair that long and could gain the muscle mass in her legs to become an Olympic athlete in two years.

well her stated goal is the 2016 Olympics in Rio. so 5 years.

how about her previous injuries were a bit played up by her and when a new set of doctors said they were going to check her with all the new gobity gook they could think of she said omg i can walk and can i have a book and movie deal now?

"Jesus did, sir. I was hopping along, minding my own business, all of a sudden, up he comes, cures me! One minute I'm a leper with a trade, next minute my livelihood's gone. Not so much as a by-your-leave! "You're cured, mate." Bloody do-gooder."

When you consider van der Vorst won two silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, was elected Dutch disabled athlete of the year in 2009, was the first handcycle athlete to win the 2009 Ironman world championship in Hawaii, her goal of riding in the 2016 Rio Olympics does not appear unrealistic.

Ummm... wat? I think Chrissie Wellington might have something to say about that.

The race results indicate that van der Vorst was the only woman to finish in the female handcycle division in 2009, but I note that she was also faster than the four men in the male handcycle division.

MvdV was, and is, probably THE most decorated female handcyclist. And now to land a pro contract with Rabo is truly amazing.

brb - going to play in traffic.

starlost: how about her previous injuries were a bit played up by her and when a new set of doctors said they were going to check her with all the new gobity gook they could think of she said omg i can walk and can i have a book and movie deal now?

That makes total sense to me

starlost: how about her previous injuries were a bit played up by her and when a new set of doctors said they were going to check her with all the new gobity gook they could think of she said omg i can walk and can i have a book and movie deal now?

yeah...but no. You don't fake being a parapalegic for more than a decade, retard.