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EW IN OTHER NEWS 174 October 2016 league" compared to other profes- sional riders. After 3 days of practice, Dr. Lombard said he felt confident heading into the race, despite a few bumps and bruises. But on the last day of practice, one of his pedals broke so that his shoe could not properly clip in. While he had spare parts in the event of equipment fail- ure, he did not have a spare pedal. The night before race day, it rained. The course was wet, an add- ed challenge. "My heart was racing, every- thing inside me said not to do it," he said. "Self-preservation, career longevity, my already aching back. But I had committed to be there and I had a lot of people from home behind me, so there was really no choice but to just go for it." Dr. Lombard said he wasn't sure how long he would be able to ride before being pulled from the course—riders in Olympic mountain biking have to complete laps on the 5-km circuit within a certain time- frame—but he said he was hoping to get in at least four or five laps. Slippery conditions had Dr. Lombard walking his bike through sections of the course he would oth- erwise have cycled through. The wet course plus the broken pedal also led to at least "one epic crash" that had Dr. Lombard flipping over his bike and landing on a rock. "I hadn't crashed on that partic- ular section before, but in the race my foot unclipped and I couldn't control the bike. I was going over the handlebars and tried to roll over to avoid hitting my face, and ended up taking the brunt of the Ophthalmologist continued from page 173 energy on my iliac crest," he said. "I couldn't walk well the rest of the day, but thankfully, it was nothing more than a bad bruise on my hip. It could have been a lot worse—a couple of riders were taken to the hospital." In the end, the Olympics listed Dr. Lombard as not finishing the race. Reflecting on the games, Dr. Lombard said the emotions are hard to describe. "Awe, gratitude, pride, appreci- ation, fulfillment … these dominat- ed throughout. I was at times star struck, taking photos with celebrity athletes," he said. "It was easy to feel intimidation, seeing the fittest humans in the world at their fittest moments, training in and around the Olympic Village, or working out at the village gym." Back in Guam, Dr. Lombard said he plans to stay off his bike for awhile, refocusing his energy on his practice. While he's not sure he wants to keep cycling at the compet- itive level, he does have an interest in coaching. "I'd like to think I can help our sports programs down the road," he said. "It all starts somewhere, and hopefully a young superstar is out there who was inspired by seeing Guam athletes compete in Rio." "I will most treasure the feel- ings of community and friendship, both among our small delegation from Guam and in the friendliness exhibited by the other athletes and delegations," Dr. Lombard said. EW Contact information Lombard: peterlombard@gmail.com Dr. Lombard found the course on the day of the competition more difficult than on previous practice days due to rain the night before and a broken pedal. Still, he said the experience was awe-inspiring and fulfilling. Source: Peter Lombard II, MD

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