Nelson Beasley Vails (born October 13, 1960 in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

) is a retired road

Road

A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...

 and track cyclist from the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, a professional rider from 1988 to 1994. He represented the USA at the 1984 Summer Olympics

1984 Summer Olympics

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

 in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, where he won the silver medal in the individual sprint, behind countryman Mark Gorski

Mark Gorski

Mark Gorski is a retired track cyclist from the United States. He attended Lake Park High School in Roselle, Illinois....

. He also raced for the USA in the UCI Track World Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...

 in 1986.

Vails was also seen as a New York bicycle messenger

Bicycle messenger

Bicycle messengers are people who work for courier companies carrying and delivering items by bicycle. Bicycle messengers are most often found in the central business districts of metropolitan areas...

 in the movie Quicksilver (film)

Quicksilver (film)

Quicksilver is a 1986 feature film starring Kevin Bacon. Written and directed by Thomas Michael Donnelly, the film also includes Jami Gertz, Paul Rodriguez, Louie Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, and Rudy Ramos.-Plot:...

.

He didn't just play a bicycle messenger in "Quicksilver," he worked as one in Manhattan. His nickname was "The Cheetah."