Alicia Dana

Dana was born on February 12, 1969, in Brattleboro, Vermont to parents Edmund and Veronica Brelsford.[1] While attending The Putney School, Dana was climbing a tree when the branch broke and she fell, breaking her back and paralyzing her from the waist down.[2] At the time, she had just begun cycling at the national level and was ranked among the best cyclists and cross country skiers in the state.[3] Dana had competed at two cycling nationals and various cross-country Junior Nationals.[4] After graduating from The Putney School, Dana attended Marlboro College and the Rhode Island School of Design where she majored in Illustration.[1]

Dana tried adaptive skiing and wheelchair racing before purchasing a handcycling bike.[3] In 2000, she cycled across the United States from Washington to Vermont in order to raise funds for disability-related causes,[5] Dana and a group of other cyclers spent 10 weeks cycling, averaging 70 miles per day.[6] However, due to wildfires in Montana, they had to divert from their original route and shuttle 50 miles.[7]

Dana attended the United States Paralympics Cycling National Team tryouts in 2001 and qualified to compete on their roster at the 2002 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships.[2] Following the competition, she decided to take a break from the sport to raise her daughter Willow in Putney.[8] Her break became extended following a divorce, the theft of her handcycle, and her father's death within 10 years.[9] Dana's friend encouraged her to participate in the Burlington City Marathon and after winning first place in her division, she chose to come back to hand-cycling competitively.[5]

When Dana returned to paralympic athletics, she participated in both sit-ski racing and hand-cycling, earning medals in both categories. In 2011, Dana competed in her first sit-ski racing competition United States Nationals in Rumford, Maine, winning a gold and a bronze medal. As a result, she was invited to participate in the Paralympic World Cup representing the United States. Dana also returned to hand-cycling in 2011 and re-qualified for the United States Paralympics Cycling National Team the following year.[4] At her first Summer Paralympic Games in 2012, Dana placed fifth in the road time trial.[1] As a result, she was recruited again for the national team in 2013.[10]

In 2014, Dana became the fastest woman's H3 Para-cyclist in the world after winning gold at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, beating Karen Darke and Renata Kaluza.[9] The following year, she won two gold medals in the time trial and the road race at the Union Cycliste Internationale Para-cycling Road World Cup and two silver medals at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. In her gold medal races, she was the only athlete representing the United States amongst 13 other competitors in her class.[11] On January 3, 2016, Dana was among the 27 athletes named to Team USAs Paralympics Cycling National Team for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio.[12] In order to train for the event, Dana worked out six days a week year-round including at the gym or on a stationary trainer in her garage. She also communicated with her national team trainer Rick Babington in southern California and biked on paved roads to test her endurance.[2] During the Games, Dana earned her first Paralympic silver medal as she placed second behind Darke in the H1-3 category with a time of 12.55 seconds.[13] She also competed in the Women's Road Race H1-4 where she ranked fourth.[14]

Following the Paralympics, Dana earned two gold medals for the United States at the 2019 International Cycling Union (UCI) Para-cycling Road World Cup in the women’s H3 time trial and road race.[15] She also won her first national title since 2014 at the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships with a time of 34:41.53, over 30 seconds faster than the second place finisher.[16] Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dana was chosen to compete at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, which were later postponed to 2021.[17]