The 14th UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships will take place 28-31 August in the city of Ronse, Belgium. Nestled in rolling landscape of the southern part of the Flemish Ardennes, the city - known for its textile heritage - will host two days of individual time trials followed by two days of road races, finishing with the mixed H1-5 team relay.
Numerous defending UCI World Champions and Paris 2024 Paralympic stars – with only a few notable exceptions – will be going for gold. We take a look at the individual time trial (ITT) contenders. Riders will compete over one or two laps of the 11.6km course, depending on their sport class, with the exception of the Men B class which will race over three laps (34.8km).
Handbike and tricycle
The Men’s H3 to 5 sport classes will tackle 23.2km, with Dutchman Mitch Valize looking to defend his H5 rainbow stripes in the face of stiff competition from Loïc Vergnaud (FRA), and Tim de Vries (NED). Austria’s Thomas Frühwirth, meanwhile, will aim to outpace his H4 rivals Fabian Recher (SUI) and Joseph Fritsch (FRA). Frenchman Mathieu Bosredon, wants to keep his H3 jersey, with Marvin Odent (BEL) and Johan Quaile (FRA), amongst the contenders.
Completing the men’s handbike ITTs, look out for Luca Mazzone (ITA), Florian Jouanny (FRA) and Sergio Garrote Muñoz (ESP) in the one-lap (11.6km) MH2 competition- There could be a potential Italian double with Fabrizio Cornegliani in the MH1 – although Nicolas Pieter du Preez (RSA) strives for a different result.
In the 11.6km tricycle time trials, Switzerland’s Celine van Till is not ready to give up her T2 rainbow bands, while Angelika Dreock-Käser (GER) has other ideas. In women’s T1 racing, could reigning Paralympic and UCI World Champion Marieke van Soest claim another gold for the Netherlands? Pavlína Vejvodová (CZE) hopes not. Felix Barrow (GBR), Tim Celen (BEL) and Dennis Connors (USA) provide the firepower in MT2, while Italy’s Giorgio Farroni and Aziz Atakhodjaev (UZB) will be among strong contenders for the MT1 crown.
The Netherlands’ Chantal Haenen – 2024 UCI World Champion – faces last year’s other podium athletes Andrea Eskau (GER) and Ana Maria Vitelaru (ITA) in the one-lap WH5 ITT. We’re also treated to the full WH4 2024 UCI Worlds podium rekindling their rivalry: Austria’s: Svetlana Moshkovich, her compatriot Cornelia Wibmer and Julia Dierkesmann (GER). Fellow German Annika Zeyen-Giles faces Lauren Parker (AUS) in the WH3; the USA’s Katie Brim and Roberta Amadeo (ITA) go head-to-head in the WH2; while in the WH1 competition Spain’s 2024 UCI World Champion Manuela Vos van den Bouwhuijsen takes on Pokiza Akhmadbekova (UZB).
Tandems promise thrilling competition
Friday morning starts and ends with the tandem races, punctuated by men’s cycle races. In the men’s three-lap, 34.8km race, all the 2024 UCI World Champion podium finishers will fight it out: Tristan Bangma and pilot Patrick Bos (NED), Alexandre Lloveras and Yoann Paillot (FRA), and Imanol Arriortua Zorrilla and Francisco García Rus (ESP) – along with Paris 2024 silver medalists Elie de Carvalho and Mickaël Guichard (FRA).
In the women’s two-lap, 23.2km race, last year’s UCI World Champions Katie-George Dunlevy & Linda Kelly (IRL), take on Paris 2024 Paralympic Champions Sophie Unwin & Jenny Holl (GBR). Following this summer’s retirement of Britain’s multiple UCI World Champion Lora Fachie, her former pilot Corrine Hall is now paired with Amelia Robertson.
Men’s and Women’s cycle races
The Men’s C5, C4 and C3 individual time trials, raced over 23.2km, all feature the current UCI World Champions and reigning Paralympic Champions.
The Netherlands’ Daniel Abraham Gebru wants gold in the MC5 time trial, while Kévin Le Cunff, Mattis Lebeau and Gatien Le Rousseau are a formidable French trio in the MC4 sport class.
In the C3 ITT two more Frenchmen, Thomas Peyroton Dartet (Paris 2024 Paralympic Champion), and Florian Bouziani (2024 UCI World Champion) both want the win… as do Finlay Graham (GBR), Alexandre Hayward (CAN) and Matthias Schindler (GER).
Friday afternoon brings more Men’s C racing. The two-lap MC2 ITT features the full Paris 2024 podium: Alexandre Léauté (FRA), Ewoud Vromant (BEL) and Darren Hicks (AUS), along with Great Britain’s Matthew Robertson. All the medallists from the Paris 2024 Paralympics and UCI World Championships MC1 individual time trials are on the start list: Ricardo Ten Argilés(ESP), Michael Teuber (GER), Zbigniew Maciejewski (POL) and Andre Wijnhoud (NED).
Then the Ronse spectators are treated to Women’s C ITTs, starting with the 23.2km C5 race. In the absence of Sarah Storey (GBR), who still aims to compete at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games, look out for Alana Forster (AUS) and Kerstin Brachtendorf (GER).
In the C4 race, expect fireworks from the USA’s Samantha Bosco and Australian Meg Lemon. Another American, Jamie Whitmore, is among the favourites, along with Colombia’s Paula Caballeros, in the C3 event. Switzerland’s Flurina Rigling will look to retain her C2 rainbow jersey, while in the 11.6km C1 race, the Australian pair of Kaitlyn Schurmann and Tahlia Clayton-Goodie will ensure the day finishes in style.
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.