Paralympian #221 Rory Mead hopes a fresh training approach, coupled with a stint training in his native Aotearoa New Zealand, can provide the impetus for the Kiwi-based handcyclist to climb the podium at forthcoming UCI Para cycling Road World Cup events in Belgium and Italy.
US-based Mead has been a model of consistency in recent years, placing fifth in the Men’s Road Race H1–2 and Men’s Time Trial H2 at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, and finishing fourth in the Men’s Road Race H1–2 and fifth in the Men’s Time Trial H2 at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Last year, he maintained his high level of performance by claiming a pair of fourth place finishes in the Men’s Time Trial H2 and Men’s Road Race H2 at the UCI Para cycling Road World Championships in Belgium. Although “frustrated” to be so close to the podium, the Kiwi believes he is narrowing the gap and hopes 2026 will bring a breakthrough.
“If you go off the numbers, I was three or four minutes off the leaders (in the Time Trial H2) in Paris, but last year at the worlds I was just a minute-and-a-half behind, so I’ve made a big jump forward,” explains Rory. “It’s nice that the hard work is starting to pay off. Getting closer is good fuel to keep grinding. It can get frustrating at times (finishing just outside the medals), and you can start to second-guess yourself, but last year I really started to turn a corner. I’ve always backed myself, and I truly believe I will get there in the end.”
Raised in Porirua, the former motocross racer relocated to the United States in 2011 and impressed on the national GNCC series before sustaining a spinal cord injury after striking a tree in a racing accident in 2014.
Based in Athens, Ohio, and adapting to life as a quadriplegic, he sought a new pursuit and took up handcycling. Making his competitive debut 10 years ago, he has since gone on to compete at back-to-back Paralympic Games. However, following Paris 2024, Rory sat down with his then coach, Matt Shallcrass, to discuss adopting a different training programme.
“We decided that if I was going to improve, I would need more volume,” said Rory, 39. “At my age, you can’t expect to repeat the same training and see a change in results. Leading into Paris, I was probably doing eight to 10 hours a week, but I’m now up to around 15 to 16 hours, which equates to roughly 300km in a heavier week. The aspiration in the lead-up to LA28 is to build to around 20 hours a week of training.”
Switching coaches late last year to connect with Cambridge-based Dan Gardner has seen a continuation of this approach, with Rory hoping to see positive results at the UCI Para cycling Road World Cup events in Middelkerke, Belgium (28 April–1 May) and Abruzzo, Italy (7–10 May).
Expecting strong European opposition, led by Florian Jouanny (France), Sergio Garrote Muñoz (Spain), and Luca Mazzone (Italy) – who have dominated global podiums in recent years – he adds: “The two World Cups are major races on the calendar, and we don’t get many opportunities to race internationally as a handcyclist. So, to have back-to-back races in Europe, where the top Para-cyclists compete, was too good to turn down. The European spring is a great time of year to race and a good benchmark for the rest of the season.”
Competing in both the Road Race and Time Trial H2 events at each World Cup, he adds: “The goal is to land a podium in each of the four races. If I didn’t, it would be a bit of a letdown.”
Beyond the upcoming World Cups, Rory’s primary goal for 2026 is success at the UCI Para cycling Road World Championships in Huntsville, Alabama (4–7 September).
Located just an eight-hour drive from his Ohio base, it is a course he knows well, and he is relishing the opportunity to compete there later this year.
“I’ve raced there a few times, including at a World Cup event in 2023,” he says. “It’s a fun circuit around a business park that’s reasonably flat with quite a few turns. I think it will make for a good World Championships course. The fact the event is relatively close to me, and I can drive there in the van, will make travel much more straightforward.”
Since January, Rory has also spent time living and training in his hometown of Whitby, Porirua and the prolonged stint back home for the first time in two years has provided valuable preparation.
“I feel very privileged to come back home, see family, and have a mental reset,” he says. “It’s been great training around Porirua, and I went up to Cambridge to compete at nationals. I really enjoy coming back to New Zealand and spending three months of summer here — it’s the perfect lifestyle.”
Believing his consistency and race craft are among his key strengths, he hopes his ability to continually “show up” at major races will eventually reap rewards at LA28. Yet whatever the future holds, after a decade in the Para sport, his passion remains undimmed.
“I just love riding bikes — I always have, even as a kid. I later went on to motocross before later pivoting to handcycling — that’s why I do what I do.”
***Rory opens his quest at the UCI Para cycling Road World Cup in Middelkerke by competing in the Men’s Time Trial H2 on Wednesday (29 April NZT) before taking to the start line of the Men’s Road Race H2 on Friday (NZT).
