Wolfgang Sacher knows that the blink of an eye can decide between weal and woe: He often triumphs at the finishing line only split seconds before his rivals. And only split seconds changed his life virtually at lightning speed in April 1983: While he was playing with his buddies on the grounds of an abandoned freight railway station, Wolfgang Sacher climbed onto a carriage and got into the electric field of a 16.000 V catenary. After many years, he managed to accept the loss of his left arm and of several toes. On this basis, he was then able to start overcoming his psychological injuries as well. During this process, help came from the love of Sacher’s present wife and from a sport that turned a persuaded leisure pedalist into a convinced world-class biker.

15 years after his accident, Wolfgang Sacher got on a bike for the first time to participate in a cycling tour: His brother was able to persuade him to take part in the Pfaffenwinkel Round Trip. Sacher – today known as “one-armed bandit” – instantly absolved 170 km without any problems. This awakened the ambition of the then 31-year-old athlete. Two years later, he absolved his first solo TT event. Subsequently, Sacher improved his performance so well that he – after many triumphs in the field of non-disabled bikers –   

was affiliated to the Regional Bike Squad of the Bavarian Disabled Sports Association. And the training bore fruit: After he had nearly despaired of his own fate, Wolfgang Sacher became multiple German National Champion, European Cup winner (twice) and Road World Champion. At the 2008 Paralympic Games, he crowned his career with Bronze and Silver in Track Cycling and a solo TT Gold Medal. The current objective is to defend these successes at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

With MERIDA bikes that are specifically adapted to his handicap, Wolfgang Sacher is on target for the successful achievement of this goal. In June 2011, he scored another commanding win as German Road Champion. Further stages will optimize his performance on the way to precious metal in Great Britain. In between, the likeable world-class biker has even some time left to put his life into words: The One-Armed Bandit (2011; 240 p.) narrates how Wolfgang Sacher faces his individual fate and how he proves as a sportsman that vitality can be a question of will.