BERNARD SHAW, CNN ANCHOR: More than 150 cyclists are vying for the winner's yellow jersey in the Tour de France. But as CNN's Peter Humi reports, a veteran amateur recently completed his own tour of France and a long personal journey.</s>PETER HUMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Most people would get on a bike like this, but I get on this way," says Robert Poggi (ph). Balanced on a padded seat on his crossbar, Poggi is off and cycling. "It's like back to the future. I have the past in front of me," Poggi says. In many ways, the past is the reason Poggi set off on his extraordinary trip across France last month. Leaving Geneva, Switzerland in early June, Poggi cycled his way for 2,000 kilometers, about 1,200 miles, on all surfaces and through all weathers -- all of it backwards. "It's tough on your backside, your shoulders and kidneys," says Poggi, describing the physical challenges. "You get to know your body well," he adds. Poggio, a former top-class amateur cyclist, first thought of the idea as he was recovering from a near fatal car crash 10 years ago. He suffered double and triple fractures of his legs and a crushed pelvis. It took 380 sessions of physical therapy over two and a half years before he could even walk again, let alone get on a bicycle. "The most important doctor is the one within us all," Poggio says. When Poggio completed his marathon personal tour in Brittany at the end of 20 days of back pedaling, he achieved something more than setting an endurance record. "Most people can achieve far more than they think, even in the most difficult circumstances," he says. "When you really want something strongly enough," Poggio states, "you can achieve it. It's all in the mind." Peter Humi, CNN, Paris.
French Cyclist Goes Through Grueling Journey Backwards