How does the author use foreshadowing in Rendezvous with Rama?

Jimmy Pak is a sports fanatic whose past as a failed Olympian space-bike competitor foreshadows his failure to complete the mission. However, he provides the Endeavour team its only link to the southern hemisphere of Rama. Jimmy can compensate the limitations of technology with human-specific intelligence, skills and abilities. He "flies" a human-powered, bicycle-like device to the southern hemisphere where he eventually crashes.