The New Zealand Para cycling team have now wrapped up the Québec City 2022 UCI Para Cycling Road World Cup and are looking ahead to the 2022 UCI Para Cycling Road World Championships.
The final day of World Cup racing saw Nicole Murray just short of a medal in the women’s C5 road race. Second, third, fourth and fifth places in her race came in within a second of each other in a sprint finish. Nicole placed 5th. Despite missing out on the podium, she nonetheless showed herself, once again, to be one of the dominant riders in her classification. Fraser Sharp delivered a strong ride to place 7th in the men’s C2 road race. Sarah Ellington raced later in the day and battled through an intense road race, with the hot temperatures taking a toll. Sarah placed 10th.
The team now looks ahead to the World Championships, which take place Thursday to Sunday in Baie-Comeau, Québec Province, Canada. With the two events so close together, the Québec World Cup was a stepping stone to 2022’s pinnacle Para cycling event, the World Championships.
Paralympian Nicole Murray explains what it means for Para cyclists:
“I’m looking forward to putting on the black jersey for the biggest competition we’ve had since the Paralympic Games!”
PARALYMPIAN NICOLE MURRAY
We spoke to team coach Damian Wiseman in Québec about how the World Cup has gone, and what the mood is going into World Championships. He explained:
“We’ve had a good few days here in Québec. This World Cup was about continuing to get through some work before we pull back for the pinnacle event. Our approach will differ for the World Championships. We are tapering into that event and our focus is on our performance for World Championships. Everything we do is tied to the athlete’s own plans and process, stepping them through to next weekend.”
As well as having built on their preparation for World Championships, the team leave Québec with two silver and one bronze medal. Eltje Malzbender also won the coveted World Cup Series jersey for her performances across the three 2022 World Cups.
Day | Para athlete | Race | Time | Placing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Day 1 | Eltje Malzbender | Women’s T1 time trial | 44:50.23, +2:15.29 behind first place | Silver |
Day 1 | Stevo Hills | Men’s T2 time trial | 34:26.85, +2:37.28 behind first place | 6th |
Day 2 | Fraser Sharp | Men’s C2 time trial | 26:54.95, +1:41.61 behind first place | 8th |
Day 2 | Sarah Ellington | Women’s C2 time trial | 33:08.79`, +4:00.02 behind first place | 7th |
Day 2 | Nicole Murray | Women’s C5 time trial | 27:12.82, +1:56.22 behind first place | Bronze |
Day 2 | Elizabeth Gasson | Women's C3 time trial | 36:52.48, +9:35.96 behind first place | 6th |
Day 3 | Eltje Malzbender | Women’s T1 road race | 1:11:23, +03:44 behind first place | Silver |
Day 3 | Stevo Hills | Men’s T2 road race | 1:10:12, +01:18 behind first place | 4th |
Day 4 | Fraser Sharp | Men’s C2 road race | 1:41:07, +02:34 behind first place | 7th |
Day 4 | Sarah Ellington | Women's C2 road race | - 1 lap | 10th |
Day 4 | Nicole Murray | Women's C5 road race | 1:45:50, +05:21 behind first place | 5th |
Day 4 | Elizabeth Gasson | Women's C3 road race | - 1 lap | 6th |
2022 UCI Para Cycling World Championships
Find out the schedule and more information about the World Championships.
