after growing more comfortable with his new life, and his prosthetic leg, Kavanagh began feeling the cycling itch again. Before the avalanche, he had been a competitive cyclist, as well as an avid skier. He and his friends were backcountry skiing in southwestern Montana's Centennial Mountains when the avalanche struck on Jan. 1, 2005.With the support of friends and family, Kavanagh got back into cycling. In July 2006, he competed in his first U.S. Paralympic national championships. Then at a world competition in Switzerland, he said, "the fire really caught." His ultimate goal became clear: to represent his country at the Paralympic Games.
