Keely Shaw
Racing hard on the road and track
On Nov. 9, 2009, a horse came home without its 15-yearold rider, Keely Shaw. Her father went out and found her unconscious. She had fallen off the animal after something startled it. Later, a doctor examined Shaw and sent her home. Everything seemed OK. That night, she became dizzy and disoriented. Despite two calls to medical professionals, the family was assured that everything was fine. That night, her left side became completely paralyzed. Today, Shaw says she has roughly 75 per cent of her mobility in her leg and about 60 per cent mobility in her arm. She has issues with co-ordination and dexterity. On the road and on the track, Shaw has been making gains on the World Cup circuit and at world championships. This past March in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, she won her first world championship medal, silver in the individual pursuit. She also set a Canadian record.
You race in the C4 category. At an event, your designation can be challenged if competitors feel your abilities don’t match your category. Has that ever happened to you? It hasn’t. Organizers do their best to build a level playing field, but there’s always going to be a range of abilities. I’m kind of on the cusp. I’m either a low-functioning C4 or a high-functioning C3. They placed me as a C4. Because I am in that low-functioning side, it’s very unlikely that anyone will challenge it. The C designation means you ride a standard bike (that is, not a tricycle or a tandem). But are there any modifications to that bike? Because the left side of my body doesn’t work very well, both of my brakes run off of my right lever. The Shimano Di2 on my bike is set up with synchronized shift, so it automatically changes from the small ring to the big ring depending on what the optimal ratio is. My left hand doesn’t work, so hilly courses aren’t a lot of fun on mechanical shifting. Tell me about breaking your collarbone with roughly 5 km to go in the 2018 world championship road race. I went down early in the race, like 30 km in. I just rubbed wheels. Then I was two minutes behind the pack. Later, there was a New Zealand C5 rider who had caught up with me. We worked together and caught up with the pack with one lap to go. I was trying to find a good position for that final lap. Then, I don’t know what happened. Three of us went down. I was knocked out a little bit. When I came to, my team manager was there. I asked, “Can I finish the race?” He looked at me like I was stupid. I told the paramedics to put the chain back on my bike and I left. I didn’t know I had a broken collarbone. There were cobblestones, and I didn’t even feel them. Then our coach and team doctor were waiting at the finish. They said, “Keely, get off your bike and sit down.”
What side was the injury on? My left side. My affected side.
Would a rider with complete mobility on the left side be able to do what you did? It’s hard to say. I have a little less feeling. When I couldn’t shift (on my old mechanical group), I didn’t think anything of it because I can’t usually anyway. But in that kind of situation, there are so many endorphins and so much adrenaline going through your system. And all you can think about is finishing the race.
Before your injury in 2009, hockey was important to you. Do you see any parallels between cycling and hockey? Absolutely. They look very different. Hockey is very anaerobic; cycling is very aerobic. But, I think it was my background in hockey that allowed me to become a strong cyclist, because I built the leg strength and power. There is an element of aerobic fitness in addition to the anaerobic. The anaerobic aspect of hockey has really helped me with attacks and sprints.
“I told the paramedics to put the chain back on my bike, and I left.”
I think of hockey players as very superstitious athletes. Do you, a former hockey player, have any pre-race rituals for cycling? I absolutely do. The night before, I have to plan my next 24 hours to the minute. I have a specific warm-up: passive stretching, active stretching, a specific warm-up on my bike. I take my Red Bull 45 minutes before I race. I take my caffeinated gel 15 minutes before.
But how much of that is actual science? I’m reading some of your kinesiology background in those rituals. It’s definitely more science, but it worked once, and now I’m scared to change it.