Career
He was a pole vault competitor at Long Beach State and a semifinalist for the 1976 Olympics before a 1978 traffic accident left him paralyzed. He went through rehabilitation at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, but did not regain the use of his legs. In the 1990s he held "the world record in every race distance from 5,000 meters to the marathon." Knaub joined Cannondale Bicycle Corporation in 1998 as production manager for the company"s competition wheelchairs.
A movie about Knaub"s life, titled Hell on Wheels is reported to be in development by Walt Disney Pictures.