Day 2: Mixed bag for Para cyclists in Time Trial

The competition was tough for some of the Para cyclists in the road Time Trial, but not for Sarah Ellington. Paralympian #213 Ellington, who lives on the West Coast, is delighted with her 6^th place finish:

“I pushed as hard as I could. I was nearly sick a couple of times! I was lucky to be riding in the morning, in 25C with very little wind. It was a really good course, a little bit technical. I’m very proud with what I’ve done.”

PARALYMPIAN #213 SARAH ELLINGTON

Paralympian #222 Nicole Murray was less happy with her result today. She explains “I’m a bit gutted – you win some, you lose some”. She was a favourite following a gold medal in the Road World Cup in May but placed 6^th today. Her coach Damian Wiseman explained that there is an element of fatigue after Murray and her teammates rode the full schedule of track racing.

“The team worked hard to bring full power to today’s racing, but there were some signs of tiredness after a full schedule of track cycling. Of Nicole’s competitors today, Dame Sarah Storey (the gold medal winner) didn’t race the track, neither did Brachtendorf, and Gaugain also only rode the pursuit on the track.”

Wiseman is looking forward to seeing the same set of riders in the Road Race (on Saturday evening NZST).

“There are a good bunch of women at the top of the C5 class that will want to race rather than just sit in the bunch to try to take the sprint at the end. It will make the race interesting. We’ll be pulling together a good race plan for it.”

As well as Sarah Ellington and Nicole Murray, three other Kiwi Para cyclists raced today. Paralympian #225 Anna Taylor finished 10^th. The men’s racing saw Nick Blincoe and Devon Briggs finish 22^nd and 18^th respectively.

 

Looking ahead to Day 3

Day 3 sees us move on to the Road Races where all cyclists ride together in one race. The tricycle and handcycle classes will race on Day 3, with the C class 2-wheel bikes on Day 4. First up are Paralympian #196 Stevo Hills, and Paralympian #220 Eltje Malzbender on the tricycle around 8pm NZST. We then see Paralympian #221 Rory Mead on the handcycle around 10.44pm.

See the schedule of when the New Zealanders compete. Livestreaming is available for some events, and links to the livestreams are provided on the schedule.

What do the classifications mean in Para cycling?

Classification groups Para cyclists with an eligible impairment into sports classes, according to how much their impairment affects their ability to carry out the fundamental activities in their sport.

• Para athletes who are able to use a standard bicycle (with approved adaptations) compete in the five sport classes C1-5. Sport class C1 is allocated to athletes with the most severe activity limitation. Sport class C5 is allocated to athletes with minimum impairments. The C1-5 sport classes include athletes with limb deficiency, impaired muscle power or range of motion and impairments affecting co-ordination, such as uncoordinated movements and involuntary movements.
• Para cyclists who have a visual impairment race on a tandem bicycle with a sighted cyclist (pilot) at the front. They cycle in the sports class B. This class will include athletes with a range of visual impairment from a low visual acuity (less than 6/60) and/or a visual field of less than 20 degrees through to athletes with no vision.
• Para athletes who ride a tricycle are unable to ride a bicycle safely due to impairment affecting their balance and coordination. They are divided into two classes, T1 and T2. The sport class T1 is allocated to athletes with more significant balance and co-ordination impairments and problems controlling movements than athletes competing in sport class T2.
• There are five different sport classes for handcycle racing. The lower numbers indicate a more severe activity limitation. Para athletes competing in the H1 classes have a complete loss of trunk and leg function and limited arm function, e.g. as a result of a spinal cord injury. Para athletes in the H4 class have limited or no leg function, but good trunk and arm function. Para cyclists in sport classes H1 – 4 compete in a reclined position. Para cyclists in the H5 sport class sit on their knees because they are able to use their arms and trunk to accelerate the handcycle. Para athletes in this sport class might have leg amputations, paraplegia or mild to moderate involuntary and uncoordinated movements.

About the World Championships

The UCI Cycling World Championships (opens a new tab) have been dubbed the ‘Super Worlds’ as they bring together 13 different World Championships in various cycling disciplines into one massive event in Glasgow, Scotland. The Para cyclists first competed in track events, and now contest road events from Wednesday 9^th August through to Sunday 13^th August.