Para-cyclists raced for 10 gold medals on day six of the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. The rain fell but the competitors dug deep to produce thrilling racing.
Belgium’s Maxime Hordies wrote the headlines as he took his third successive Men’s H1 UCI world title … then promptly announced his retirement from the sport. Italy’s Fabrizio Cornegliani took the silver after leading for all but the final metres. Brazil’s Marcos Antônio Ferreira de Melo Junior won bronze.
“I feel incredible,” Hordies said after the race. “For five laps I was second. Then in the final kilometre, I see him and give everything I have. I looked and saw that I’ve won. Amazing.”
At one point in the 38km road race, Hordies was over a minute and a half behind Cornegliani, the Italian looking odds-on to revenge defeats to Hordies in both the 2022 and 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, in Canada (Baie-Comeau) and Scotland, Great Britain (Dumfries and Galloway), respectively: both were close with just five seconds between them in Canada. Buoyed by his success in the time trial just days earlier, Cornegliani appeared to have finally overcome his Belgian rival… but as the finish line edged closer, Hordies powered past the Italian for his fourth H1 road race world title (he also won the rainbow jersey in 2019).
Cornegliani graciously congratulated his adversary, before 28-year-old Hordies revealed their rivalry would be coming to an end. “This is the last race of my professional career,” Hordies announced. “To finish my career like this is just beautiful.”
Asked on what lies ahead, Hordies replied: “Sleep! I’m back to work next week. But I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family. Cycling takes up a lot of your time.”
As well as his four UCI world titles, Hordies retires with a palmares that includes medals in the men’s H1 time trial at the 2024 Paris and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Netherlands’ Jenette Jansen wrote another chapter in her inspirational career as she held off Austria’s Cornelia Wibmer to win the women’s H4 road race by two seconds. Switzerland’s Sandra Fuhrer claimed the bronze.
The 55-year-old Dutchwoman missed out on the podium in the time trial, but came back to retain the road race title she won in Dumfries and Galloway.
“In the time trial, I didn’t have my best day,” Jansen said. “I’ve been a little sick since Paris and have been hoping every day that I’d feel better. I wasn’t 100% in the time trial and you have to be in that race. I awoke this morning at 5am and felt better and that I could give my best today.
“Come the steeper parts of the course I felt really strong. I felt good in the sprint. Cornelia was ahead, which was bad for her but a good position for me. I gave it my all and am very happy with this title. It’ll be special to wear the rainbow jersey for another year.”
Jansen’s gold added to silver in the road race at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, following gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Chantal Haenen delivered further Dutch success, adding Women’s H5 road race gold to her time trial title, beating Italy’s Ana Maria Vitelaru in a photo finish. Germany’s Andrea Eskau won bronze.
“It’s great to win and I’m happy that everyone played their part,” Haenen said. “I’m not going to touch my bike for a month now!”
Elsewhere, arguably the most emotional victory of the day went to Brazil’s Jady Martins Malavazzi, who won the Women’s H3 road race in a photo finish ahead of Germany’s defending UCI World Champion, Annika Zeyen-Giles. France’s Anaïs Vincent took bronze.
“I’ve worked so hard for over ten years and today it happened,” said Malavazzi. “I raced as if it was the last race of my life. This is a dream I’ve had for a very long time. Today, that dream came true.”
American Katerina Brim claimed her second gold of the Championships in the Women’s H2 road race, while Sergio Garrote Muñoz (Men’s H2), Luisa Pasini (Women’s H1), Finlay Graham (Men’s C3) and Yehor Dementyev (Men’s C5) also each all won gold.
The final race of the day saw France enjoy a 1-2-3 in the Men’s C4 road race with Gatien Le Rousseau taking gold ahead of Mattis Lebeau and Kévin Le Cunff. France had already enjoyed a 1-2-3 in the time trial with Lebeau winning gold.
Para-cycling sport classes
C – Cycle: conventional bike with adaptations if necessary
T – Tricycle: three-wheeled bike
B – Tandem: for visually impaired athletes with sighted pilot
H – Handcycle
Groups C (1-5), T (1-2) and H (1-5) are divided into different sport classes, with the lower the number indicating a higher level of impairment.