Photo by Marty Caivano

Jimmie Heuga, an Olympic bronze medalist and former skiing star at Colorado, works out on his stationary bicycle in his room at Balfour retirement home.

LOUISVILLE — The first thing you notice as you enter Jimmie Heuga's room at the Balfour retirement home is Heuga himself, back to the door in his wheelchair, pedaling away with his arms on his Schwinn Airdyne stationary bike.

To the right, cyclists race across France on the television.

In front of him and to the left is a wall full of pictures — of his three teenage sons, his favorite college professor, friends, Heuga tearing down the slopes on his sit-ski. All of them are recent. Few depict Heuga's days as a standout downhill skier at the University of Colorado and Olympic bronze medalist, and those that do are off to the side.

"I don't sit around and concern myself with how things were seven years ago," Heuga says. "I don't concern myself with the way things were in Innsbruck, Austria. Those days are gone by. This is reality.

"I'm more involved with what's going on today."

It's not that Heuga isn't proud of his past achievements, or that he wants to forget them. He just knows dwelling over what he used to be able to dowon't make him enjoy life as it is now.

At age 63, reality for Heuga is that he hasn't stood up in eight years. Multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system, has robbed him of that ability.

One thing it's never been able to steal, however, is Heuga's competitive spirit and positive outlook. That's why, 40 years after first dealing with the effects of the disease, Heuga can still get out and have a triumphant day like the one he had two weeks ago.

On a cloudy, 58-degree morning under the Flatirons, Heuga, who won slalom bronze in the 1964 Innsbruck Games, circled CU's Potts Field on his recumbent tricycle 14 times — two more than he ever had before.

He frequents the track nowadays, thanks largely to CU ski coach Richard Rokos, who acts as coach and cheerleader as Heuga takes in the fresh air.

Rokos, who's known Heuga for about 15 years through CU ski team functions, began assisting Heuga on his rides about 18 months ago.

"It's just the fact that he's one of us; he's a skier," Rokos says. "And we never know what can happen to one of us, and this is a good way to stick together and help each other.

"He's trying to get the best out of what he has available. That's what I admire most about his effort."

What used to be quite an ordeal to transport Heuga from his home to the track is now more efficient. Rokos designed a crane for Heuga's van that lifts Heuga out of the van and swings him into his tricycle. He also solicited donations from friends and associates of the ski team to pitch in for the crane and a trailer to haul Heuga's trike.

"Richard is a wonderful guy and is so helpful to me," Heuga says.

If it were up to Heuga, he'd hit the track every day. But since he can't drive, he's limited to those occasions when others can pick him up.

But cycling is not the only sport that keeps Heuga active.

Friends and family also pick him up to take him swimming at East Boulder Rec Center and water skiing at Boulder Reservoir. And he still hits the slopes now and then in the winter.

"I ski pretty aggressively," Heuga says.

On most days, when Heuga can't get out, he pedals his Airdyne in his room at Balfour twice a day.

"You can't sit around and think, 'Woe is me. I'd rather do this or that,' " he says. "This is what I'm able to do and this is what I'm doing. My strength is in my willingness to adapt to my circumstances."

Heuga downplays his record ride at Potts as a product of a nice cool day. But to those who witness his rides, Heuga is certainly an inspiration.

Although his main motivation for the exercise — something doctors told him to steer clear of when he was first diagnosed with MS — is simply to keep himself healthy and happy rather than inspiring others, Heuga has done plenty to help others.

He founded the Jimmy Heuga Center in Vail in the 1980s. Since then, 7,000 people have gone through the center's programs, which are based on the philosophy that people can live with MS and be healthy by focusing on exercise, nutrition, social support and disease management. Heuga's involvement with the operations of the center are limited nowadays, but he still travels the country to fundraisers.

More than any message he tries to get across, Heuga believes simply that everyone has personal challenges in their lives they need to face head-on.

"We've all got to get our butts out the door," he says.

Just like his Olympic medal, Heuga knows reflecting on one conquered challenge — even setting a personal record long after he was supposed to be done setting records — won't conquer the next for him.

"You come around the corner at Potts Field ... it's the fresh air, the wind blowing in your face," Heuga says. "It's a real turn-on for me when I have a day like that. But again. That was a week and a half ago, so I've got to keep getting my butt out the door."