Two time Paralympian (xc skiing) and 2002 World Handcycling Champion Monica Bascio will return to handcycling in 2011, the 40 year old announced today.

Bascio -- who switched from handcycling to cross country skiing in 2003 when women's handcycling was left off the schedule for the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece -- has decided to return to handcycling after competing at the Paralympic Games as a cross country skier and biathlete in Torino, 2006 and Vancouver, 2010. Bascio says she will no longer ski race.

"I really love cross country skiing, and training for the sport got me in to the best shape of my life...but it really is the hardest sport in the world, and there's just no beating the Eastern European teams....their programs and their funding are just too deep...you're talking about girls who train 1,000 hours per year and are motivated to win by huge cash bonuses for medal performances."

Since Monica's last international cycling race in 2006, the UCI has taken over Paralympic cycling, and the classification structure has changed dramatically, including a better system for putting athletes with like abilities together in the same class. "There's now an H3 class which is comprised of women with pretty much the same level of function as I have, so that levels the playing field tremendously....when I look at my per k times from past performances, I'm already in the medal hunt!" said Bascio.

Monica has a brand new Invacare Force R Handcycle on order from her sponsor, Invacare Top End. The new bike is a different configuration for the American, but according to Bascio, it's a welcomed change: "In the past, I had to race against girls who were basically ambulatory and ride kneeling bikes and I was at a disadvantage....I rode a similar "para kneeler" bike but could not generate as much power due to my level of injury." The classification change is what motivated Bascio's return: "Everyone in the H3 class pretty much rides the exact same style of bike and has a similary disability, so that makes things much better....not to mention that [Invacare product designer] Chris Peterson's latest design is without question the best bike out there, so I am definitely excited about my chances for 2011 and beyond!"

Following the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver, Monica took the summer handcycling season off to spend time with her family and recharge the batteries. "I really enjoyed spending the summer being a normal Mom, spending time with my 3 year old son, Henry, and not worrying about a training plan. I feel rested for the first time in a long time, but I am also antsy to get back on the bike...I don't like being out of shape!" According to Bascio, another advantage to switching back to handcycling is that the training regiment is better suited to family life: "With skiing, you need to get on snow and it's always dependent on conditions, and you need to drive to a nordic center. Sometimes, a 90 minute workout would take 5 hours out of my day...with cycling, it's much easier to develop a training plan around my family life."

For more information about Monica's handcycling endeavors, please visit http://www.monicabascio.com