It was an invitation to speak at the 2007 New York marathon that first inspired Zanardi to try handcycling.
CNN: Alex Zanardi's road back to victory
2.
As well as physical training to prepare, Zanardi spent hours working as his own race engineer, fine-tuning his cycle until it perfectly complemented his body.
CNN: Alex Zanardi's road back to victory
3.
And Italian Alex Zanardi was dropped at the end of his first year with the team in 1999 despite having another year to run on his contract.