Rebecca Twigg
 

A friend of mine posted this picture on his Facebook sit. This was in her early years when she started to become known as being a successful bike racer. She is the tiny figure in the middle.


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Such an iconic figure - I read an article a few months ago about her - at the time of the writing she was unfortunately like so many Americans homeless and struggling. I hope she is doing better now.

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Very sad. I had a period of time where I wanted to rescue specific people I knew, and it took me a while to realize that at some level they needed to be rescued from themselves.

My mom was sort of kicked out of her house at age 10 or so. Her dad's new wife didn't want kids and told the two kids to leave, 10 and 6? So they packed up and left, traveling across Japan to their grandparent's house. Back in the day that was a 1-2 day journey. My mom made it fine in life, despite her stepmom, although I never felt any kinship with her stepmom.

Re: Rebecca Twigg, I read that she did a 160km training ride in some ridiculously tiny gear (42x18?) while at the OTC, before competing in the men's points race that evening. I want to say she won the race but I don't remember.

I love the picture of her on the GT. She has a toughness about her, no nonsense, in her element.

I wonder if she has had a Brain Injury.
Most Homeless have a Injured Brain.

From Being America’s Most Talented Cyclist to Being Homeless - We Love Cycling magazine

"Unfortunately, aged 25, Twigg crashed her bike in Texas and got 13 stitches to her head. The recovery took some time and Becca realized the previous years left her feeling burnt out. She decided to take a break and finish her studies. After getting an associate degree in computer science, the excellent cyclist became a programmer."

Sadly most homeless people have serious mental or addiction issues that need to be addressed. These are the people that have fallen through the cracks and often they don't want help because of their issues. My heart goes out to these people and sometimes the best thing we can do is be a friend and provide help if possible.

It comes with Brain Damage. Most go to Drugs and drinking to get Relief from their Brain Problems.

Well, I don't know enough about her individual story to judge her personally.

However times are changing, and as the myth of pure American meritocracy is fading so too is the notion that people are are always down on their luck because of personal failures or disfunction.

https://invisiblepeople.tv/the-wealt...elessness/amp/

From the 4th Stage of the 1993 Idaho Women's Challenge. Sorry lost the last couple of lines, but you get the idea.


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Saturday, June 27, 1993. Race Day 5 TCI Cablevision Mores Creek Road Race. 40miles, 1850ft.

Rebecca still owns 3 track records at the Major Taylor Velodrome, after 26 years.

She has said living homeless is comparable to the hardest days training on the bike.

1k TT

Elite Women - Rebecca Twigg, 1:13.287 (August, 1995)

30+ women - Rebecca Twigg, 1:13.287 (August, 1995)

3k IP

Elite Women - Rebecca Twigg, 3:45.111 (August, 1995)

It's too easy to assume the homeless are mentally ill. Here's a better, longer write-up that gives a deeper look into what she's going through and what she's thinking.
What an Olympic medalist, homeless in Seattle, wants you to know

I just re-watched the 1984 Olympic road race. What an exciting race that was. Surely one of the highlights of her life, but I wouldn't doubt that it also brings back bad memories for her. You think things are easy if you're a world-class athlete. Their lives aren't all fame, glory and fun. The pressures are unimaginable. Then when you've reached the top, the fall from grace can be long and far.

And on top of all that, her ex-husband, national team member Mark Whitehead, died young a decade ago.