The Belgian city of Ronse is ready to host the 14th edition of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. After two days of individual time trials (ITT), the focus for Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 will be on road races.
Many of the para-cyclists will fight to defend their rainbow jerseys, while others strive to earn their first, or regain them, with a number of Paris 2024 Paralympic Champions in the mix. Approaching the weekend the athletes will have a good idea of their race form – and that of their competitors - following the ITTs. Motivation will be high, with many wishing to secure double titles.
The curtain will come down on competition Sunday evening with the celebratory – and highly competitive – mixed handbike team relay.
Here’s who to look out for over the weekend…
Handbikes and tricycles start road race action
The weekend starts with handbike racing as 2024 UCI World Champion Sergio Garrote Muñoz (ESP) and Paris 2024 Paralympic Champion Florian Jouanny (FRA) go head to head for the MH2 title over the 46km course along with Luca Mazzone, the Italian who finished third behind them in both events. Italy will hope for another medal in MH1 with Fabrizio Cornegliani.
In the three remaining men’s handbike events, the 2024 UCI World Champions are on the start list to defend their jerseys: The Netherlands’ Mitch Valize (MH5), and Frenchmen Joseph Fritsch and Mathieu Bosredon in MH4 and MH3 respectively.
Last year’s WH2 UCI Worlds podium trio – Katie Brim (USA), Roberta Amadeo (ITA) and Gilmara Sol do Rosário Gonçalves (BRA) – are set to battle again over 35km. And keep an eye on Manuela Vos van den Bouwhuijsen (ESP) in the WH1 reckoning.
2024 WH5 UCI World Champion Chantal Haenen (NED) defends against Ana Maria Vitelaru (ITA) and Andrea Eskau (GER), while 2024 WH3 World Champion Jady Malavazzi (BRA) wants to retain her title under threat from Annika Zeyen-Giles (GER) and Anaïs Vincent (FRA). Look out for Austria’s Cornelia Wibmer and Switzerland’s Sandra Fuhrer in the WH4 competition.
In the tricycle racing, 2024 UCI World Champion Dennis Connors (USA), Maximilian Jäger (GER) and Wolfgang Steinbichler (AUT) will most certainly light up the 35km MT2 race, while Giorgio Farroni (ITA) and Aziz Atakhodjaev (UZB) lead the MT1 charge. Look out for Celine van Till (SUI) and Angelika Dreock-Käser (GER) in the 23.3km WT2 race, with Marieke van Soest (NED) and Pavlína Vejvodová (CZE) bidding for the WT1 rainbow jersey.
Tandem spectacle for Sunday opener
Spectators in Ronse will enjoy the thrilling tandem road races on Sunday morning. Can UCI World and Paralympic Champion Tristan Bangma pull off another victory in Belgium, along with his pilot Patrick Bos? Not if their Dutch countrymen Vincent ter Schureand Timo Fransen have their way. And don’t disregard Spain’s Imanol Arriortua Zorrilla and Francisco García Rus or France’s Alexandre Lloveras and Yoann Paillot in the 92.4km, six-lap race.
The five-lap, 77km women’s tandem race could be a head-to-head between Britain’s reigning Paralympic Champion Sophie Unwin with her pilot Jenny Holl (GBR) and their rivals, Ireland’s 2024 UCI World Champions Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly.
Cycle road races lead into relay
With the tandem racing concluded, the programme is devoted to cycle racing. Britain’s Morgan Newberry and Alana Forster (AUS) are among the women to watch in the 77km C5 race, with America’s Samantha Bosco and Katell Alençon (FRA) favourites in the C4 class over the same distance. In the 61.6km C3 and C2 races the top names include 2024 UCI World Champions Aniek van den Aarssen (NED) and Flurina Rigling (SUI). Keep eyes on Australia’s Kaitlyn Schurmann and Victoria Maria De Camargo E Barbosa (BRA) in the C1 class over the same distance.
They are followed by the same format in the men’s events. Hugely competitive racing is expected with 2024 UCI World Championships podium athletes from all five classifications on the start list. Ukraine’s Yehor Dementyev, Elouan Gardon (USA) and Lauro Chaman (BRA) feature in the 92.4km MC5 race, with the French trio of Gatien Le Rousseau, Mattis Lebeau and Kévin Le Cunff chasing the MC4 title over the same distance.
The 61.6km MC3 road race pitches Finlay Graham against his British compatriot Benjamin Watson and Canada’s Alexandre Hayward. Over the same distance the MC2 para-cyclists Alexandre Léauté (FRA), Matthew Robertson (GBR) and Ewoud Vromant (BEL) will race it out. As will Spain’s Ricardo Ten Argilés, Zbigniew Maciejewski (POL) and Pierre Senska (GER) in the final cycle road race, for the MC1 category.
The four-day event will conclude with the nine-lap mixed handbike team relay, with Italy looking to retain their title.
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.