Sarah Ellington and tandem pair Emma Foy and Hannah van Kampen have each claimed Silver Medals in the time trial of the UCI Para Cycling Road World Championships in the Netherlands.
It’s the third major medal for the tandem two who have been riding together for less than a year, having won Gold and Bronze at the UCI Track World Championships in March. “I think we’ve had a little bit of time to settle in to this combo and also for both of us not having to work and being able to focus on training has been a game changer, and I think that’s been a massive bonus. We’ve seen heaps of improvement,“ said van Kampen post-race.
The decision to give up work as an administrator recently and focus solely on cycling has also proven to be a successful move for Auckland’s Ellington who claimed her maiden Road World Championship medal in the Women’s C2 Time Trial after also earning a Silver in the Team Pursuit on the track in March.
“Probably just learning that I do have the capability to get in the stage. I guess it’s always hard to see other competitors always getting up there and you not necessarily but having confidence in yourself and trusting that the coaches have prepared you enough to get you to where you need to be.“
“It was quite a flat course but there were a few corners, so probably what I’d worked on the most was taking the corners nice and wide and keeping control in the corners and getting the bike back up to speed once I’d gone around the corner, then focusing on the power in the flat sections and just getting into my own rhythm,“ Ellington added.
Fraser Sharp put in a stellar effort in the Men’s C2 Time Trail. Despite a crash on a tight corner costing Sharp around 20 seconds, he regained his rhythm to finish in 7th.
Nicole Murray, who has been battling the flu since arriving in the Netherlands, also produced a solid performance finishing in 9th in the Women’s C5 Time Trial. She’s now looking to rest up and turn her attention to the road race over the weekend.
Read this article to know more about the New Zealand Para Cycling Team and the event detailed schedule.
