Guess I'll jump in. I've had the privilege of volunteering at a couple of para-athlete events at our local velodrome, the Velo Sports Center. Really amazing what people can do when they are inspired or motivated. When I was in my 20s (a long time ago), there was a guy who raced with me in Cat 3s who had one leg amputated(?) just above the knee. He had a prosthetic and did as well as I did in criteriums.

I understand that riding with one hand in mass start races is a different story but time trials are fun and rewarding and you have an excuse to buy a lot of high tech aero stuff.

For me, racing is about the sensations of speed that you don't experience during training, the race mentality that I crank up on race day, and challenging myself since I am not much of a challenge to my competitors. More simply, having fun and doing the best I can.