FACHIE Neil

Classification
B3 (UCI, 29 Mar 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (earn-your-stripes.co.uk, 02 Feb 2020)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (earn-your-stripes.co.uk, 02 Feb 2020)

Impairment Details
He was born with retinitis pigmentosa. The condition was diagnosed when he was about age five. (earn-your-stripes.co.uk, 02 Feb 2020; britishcycling.org.uk, 01 Sep 2016; tes.com, 08 Feb 2013)

Guide
Craig Maclean (britishcycling.org.uk, 01 Feb 2017)

General
DEALING WITH HIS IMPAIRMENT
He was born with retinitis pigmentosa and the condition was diagnosed when he was about age five. He struggled to accept his impairment growing up but meeting his wife Lora, who also has a vision impairment, helped him come to terms with it. "My disability was something I hid from a lot of people for a long time. I didn't want people to know I had a visual impairment when I was younger and very few of my friends knew. I wouldn't ask for help and I didn't really accept it. It was kind of sad looking back that I was doing that. But I'm in the blessed position to have a wife who has been totally blind almost since birth and I've been able to see what you can achieve without sight. So that's been inspiring and in some ways a kick up the backside because you can't feel sorry for yourself. Lora came from a family of visual impairment and from a young age she was encouraged to walk down to the post box at the end of the road. It wasn't a wrap you up and keep safe approach, it was a get out and take on the world approach. When I met Lora I was probably still shying away from my condition, but she sort of gave me the kick I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself and go out and get on with things." (eveningexpress.co.uk, 15 Jun 2020)

AUTHOR
In 2020 he released a book called 'Earn Your Stripes,' which outlines his methodology on how to be the best at what you do. "I hope it will appeal to many people in different areas, particularly anyone interested in sport. I've got loads of stories from my career, but alongside them are insights into the things I've used to get to the top of my sport and stay there. It's not about training, it's about the mental preparation and mentally how you have to be to achieve those things and how that approach applies to everyday life. So I hope there's something in there for everyone. It's quite autobiographical, I didn't want it to be a dry self-help book." (eveningexpress.co.uk, 03 Jun 2020; earn-your-stripes.co.uk, 02 Feb 2020)

OCCUPATION
He provides life coaching via his own personal website, Earn Your Stripes. In 2017 he and his wife Lora set up a business called LNF Coaching. "We are passionate about helping people achieve their full potential. We do this by maximising their lifestyle, nutrition, and belief systems." (earn-your-stripes.co.uk, 02 Feb 2020; LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2020; Facebook page, 25 Apr 2019, 24 Jan 2018)