Cyclist completes 1360km route with prosthetic arm she helped design
- Koalaa
- Oct 9, 2024
- 3 min read
A limb different cyclist says her legs are tired but she is “incredibly happy” to have completed a 1,360km cycling route across Europe using a prosthetic arm she helped create.
Sarah Fisher was born with a congenital limb difference, meaning her left arm didn’t develop fully at birth. She fell in love with cycling and adventure sports at a young age and whether it’s swimming in ice pools or climbing mountains, she has never been afraid to push herself to the limit.
Sarah’s latest challenge has seen her cycle from Holland to Prague – a distance of around 845 miles - in just 13 days, with the aid of an innovative new type of prosthetic arm she helped design and which is named in her honour.
Despite trying many different solutions over the years, Sarah always struggled to find anything that worked for her, especially when it came to cycling longer distances. The prosthetics and tools she did find were uncomfortable, heavy, rubbed on her skin and didn’t provide the strength and grip she needed.
That changed when she began working with London-based prosthetics innovator, Koalaa, on a new type of prosthetic that could handle the unique movements involved with cycling, while being comfortable, even when used for long periods.
Unlike traditional prosthetics, Koalaa’s are soft and lightweight, yet extremely robust, making them ideal for endurance activities. Being fabric-based they are comfortable on the skin and can be placed in the washing machine. Users wear a sleeve that can be fitted with different tool attachments, depending on the activity they would like to do, whether that’s everyday tasks in the home or workplace, or pursuing sports and hobbies.
Working closely with Koalaa’s design team, Sarah helped develop a special tool that firmly connects to handlebars while still allowing a level of movement and being quickly and easily attached and unattached.
Keen to support cyclists of all ages, levels and abilities, Sarah and Koalaa went on to develop the design even further, creating a ‘Pro’ version suitable for both recreational and elite cyclists, with the support of current and former Team GB Paralympians, Claire Cashmore and Clare Cunningham, and rising paracycling star Morgan Newberry.
Sarah commented: “I absolutely love cycling and I thought travelling almost 850 miles across Europe would be the perfect way to put my Koalaa sleeve and the new Sarah Pro tool to the test. It was an incredible experience to travel through three counties by bike, meeting loads of people and seeing things you wouldn’t see any other way. My boyfriend came with me and we camped out, so we could just pack up and get going each morning. The tent became our little home from home. And I’ve never ate so many Schnitzels in my life!”
Sarah added: “I never thought I’d managed to cycle that kind of distance - and couldn’t have without my Koalaa. All the prosthetics I had tried before caused me pain, especially on longer rides and in the heat. I’d get swelling and bruising from wearing them. But with the new tool, I forget I’m even wearing it!
“It has been brilliant to be part of the design process and creating something that could help limb different cyclists like me across the world is an amazing feeling. I’m looking forward to using it for more cycling challenges and plan to take part in an Ironman competition next year too.”
Nate Macabuag, founder of Koalaa, added: “It was a fantastic experience working with Sarah and having the input of world class para-athletes to test and feedback on the design too was just incredible. Regardless of whether you’re a complete novice, or an elite in your field, at Koalaa our mission is to make prosthetics and tools for people that supports them to do the activities they want to do - and this is another exciting example of our commitment to that goal.”
Koalaa prosthetics are available across the world and support independence at every stage of life, from young babies through to the elderly. They are designed to aid accessibility and wellbeing, helping users with tasks in their everyday and working lives, as well as to pursue sports and hobbies.
They are used by children and adults with limb differences globally, including in developing and war-torn regions, with the company having developed the world’s first ‘early rehab’ prosthetic arm, which can be used just hours after surgery.
That's seriously impressive — 1,360km in 13 days is no joke, and the fact that she helped design the prosthetic herself makes it even cooler. The part about how previous prosthetics were too heavy and caused skin rubbing really stood out to me; it shows how much trial and error goes into finding gear that actually works for endurance sports. It makes me think about how the right tools matter in everything, even something as simple as a daily trivia game — I've been hooked on the krillion unlimited game lately because the format just works better for me than other word games. Anyway, massive respect to Sarah for pushing through and proving that the right design can open up…
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