Paralympians make Bluffton final stop before heading to Rio

Perhaps a little Lowcountry magic will finally push Vico Merklein to the top of the highest medal stand.

In each of the past five years, the German handcyclist — a paraplegic who powers a racing cycle with his arms — has finished second in his sport’s biggest event. He’ll try again as the Paralympics open this weekend in Rio de Janeiro, having done his final preparation along Bluffton roads.

Motorists driving near May River High School may have seen Merklein and fellow paracyclists doing road training along New Riverside Drive during Labor Day weekend.

“It’s almost a perfect place for training,” said Merklein, one of five paracyclists who made Bluffton a six-day stopover after altitude training in the Arizona mountains. The group rented a small house in the Hampton Hall community before heading to Brazil.

Merklein was joined by fellow German Christiane Reppe, along with Swedish racers Jessica Enfot, Peter Malmberg and Rickard Nilsson. They were brought to the Lowcountry by coach Ralf Lindschulten, who knows the area through a pair of local triathletes.

“The humidity and temperature are similar to that in Rio,” said Lindschulten.

More importantly, there are pockets where streets offer a quieter alternative to what the group would have to train on in Rio.

“In Rio, we’d have to train on streets with a lot of traffic,” Lindschulten said. “So for us it was more important to train in a quiet place than in a big city with a lot of traffic. Here we have a lot more quiet instead of being in Rio.”

For endurance or recovery rides, the group stayed within the Hampton Hall neighborhood. Hard-pedaling interval training was done in the New Riverside area.

“Sometimes you have to stop, and then you go hard,” Merklein said. “You cannot make it (work) in the traffic. The cars would be thinking you look stupid — ‘He was riding hard, and he’s stopped now?’ ”

The group began final prep with altitude training in Flagstaff, Ariz., a favorite stop for Lindschulten’s athletes at more than 5,000 feet above sea level. After more than two weeks in the mountains, it was down to sea level to reacclimate themselves to conditions approximating what they’ll experience on the Brazilian coast.

Lindschulten knows the area through his work with triathlete Andrew Chafer and paratriathlete Carlos Moleda, both Hampton Hall residents.

“Andrew showed us the area and it was perfect,” Lindschulten said.

Well, almost perfect. The first day was an expected shock to the system, going from dry, cool mountain air to high humidity and temperatures in the mid-80s. Two days later, Tropical Storm Hermine blew through the area.

With debris blowing through the roads, the group was left to put their bikes on rollers and pedal for hours on the porch.

“The only thing you cannot keep away from is the training,” Merklein said. “Every day you have to do it. You go on the (home) trainer when it’s a really big rain outside. You put your bike on the trainer, and you bike like the hamster wheel.”

Said Lindschulten: “It was only a small adjustment for us. The last days have been lovely — the best weather, nice temperatures — perfect conditions for training.”

Merklein, who took up handcycling after injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident the day before his 20th birthday, is among the favorites in both the men’s H4 class time trial and road race. Despite all his success, he’s been stuck on silver in each of the past four world championships and the 2012 Paralympics in London.

“I win a lot of races,” he said, “but never the world championship, never the Paralympics. Now I can change that. I’d like to have something in my collection colored gold. It’s something I’d like to have and will do.”

Reppe, a former Paralympic bronze medalist in swimming, also is favored for gold in her new sport. The Swedish racers, too, have opportunities to get on the medal stand.

This story was originally published September 7, 2016 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Paralympians make Bluffton final stop before heading to Rio."