On 17th June 2017, a Help for Heroes team of eight wounded, injured and sick veterans and service personnel took on one world’s toughest endurance cycling events, the epic 3,081 mile Race Across America (RAAM).
On the 6th January, myself and the team met at Heathrow Terminal 3, this is the first time I have seen them all since our training camp in Chamonix back in September. I missed the last and final training camp in November as I was on another expedition, cycling the Carrera Austral.
The cycling events started early Monday morning (9th May) at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and it was a great start from Team UK taking Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Recumbent Cycling.
First up for Jaco, was the Road Time Trial where he incredibly raced to Gold, followed by Craig Preece who earned the Silver medal for Team UK.
Jaco van Gass is on 5 News talking about his friendship with the Royal ahead of the first Invictus Games.
Jaco van Gass, who will be competing as a cyclist, has become friends with the Royal since they did an arctic expedition together
Jaco is featured in this video showing him cycling and taking part in a cryotherapy session! He also talks about the Invictus Games.
On the 16th April 2011 we became the first disabled team to walk 200 miles unsupported to the Geographical North Pole and in the process we broke a number of world records.
"April is always a special month for me, it is only when I sit down,take a bit of time and look back that I realize some of the amazing opportunities that I had. I made some life long friends and shared some of the best moments of my life with them. We have been through thick and thin but came out stronger on the other end."
Jaco and Stu - Day two of the Absa Cape Epic 2019.