Day two of para-cycling at the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, saw three gold medals awarded: in the women’s B, C4 and C5 individual time trials. Great Britain’s Dame Sarah Storey took a starring role.
All the riders faced a 29.9km course, featuring a tough 327m of elevation gain, ostensibly in the first 10km. From there, it was a mix of downhill and flat, against a backdrop of sun and blue skies.
Pre-race favourite Storey delivers
All eyes were on the rerun of Storey versus young French athlete Heïdi Gaugain in the women’s C5 time trial. Forty-six-year-old Storey won the 18th and 19th Paralympic gold medals of her career in Paris just a few weeks ago, but was pushed all the way by 19-year-old Gaugain, who was just four seconds behind. Gaugain also pushed Storey all the way in the road race.
But it was a different story in Zurich as Storey stormed to her 19th UCI world title on the road and her 38th UCI rainbow jersey, track included. At the first checkpoint, Storey had a lead of 47 seconds over Gaugain. Storey didn’t let up, extending her advantage to over 70 seconds by the second checkpoint. At the finish, the phenomenal Brit won gold by over 1’30 in a time of 45’25”45. Gaugain took silver, with former UCI World Champion Kerstin Brachtendorf winning bronze, making up for missing out on selection for the German Paralympic team.
“Everything went perfectly in Paris, and I hoped the form would stay with me and I’d ride the rollercoaster of adrenaline,” Storey said after the race. “Today’s the first time I’d ridden the course on my time trial bike due to cancelled flights. But I rode it on my road bike and it was even more fun on my time trial bike.
“The crowds on the longer climb were amazing. In the final 12km by the lakeside, I had to really concentrate and keep my power up. That’s where the race of truth is.”
“I’m grateful I have such an incredibly supportive family. And an incredibly supportive school [for our children] who help us juggle when away racing. Hopefully I repay them with my race performances.”
Matile-Dörig turns the tables
American Samantha Bosco was the one to watch in the women’s C4 time trial. The 37-year-old holds five rainbow jerseys and won the time trial at the Paris Paralympics.
And she looked in imperious form, holding a 50-second lead by checkpoint one. But incredibly, Switzerland’s Franziska Matile-Dörig led by nearly four seconds at checkpoint two.
Thirty-two-year-old Matile-Dörig won bronze in Paris and was European Champion in 2023. But victory here would be a turn-up as Bosco’s dominated this category since her comeback from a training accident in the build-up to the Tokyo Paralympics that left her with a fractured skull.
But Matile-Dörig, buoyed by the home crowd, didn’t let up and took the victory in 47’44”53. Bosco won silver 21 seconds back with France’s Katell Alençon taking the bronze.
Irish tandem confirms Paralympic form
In the women’s B time trial, Ireland’s Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Linda Kelly were clear favourites after winning Paralympic gold in Paris.
In Zurich, they were last off but soon set about catching the competition, carving out a 50-second lead by the first checkpoint over Great Britain’s Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl, who they beat to gold in the Paris time trial.
Unwin and Holl had reduced that lead to 36 seconds at the second checkpoint. But Dunlevy and Kelly applied pressure, shifting up a gear to win gold in 43’14”47, over a minute ahead of Unwin and Holl. Great Britain’s Lora Fachie and pilot Corrine Hall added bronze to their Paralympics time trial bronze.
“We won the title in Paris a couple of weeks ago but were both sick when home so we’ve only ridden a few sessions together coming into Zurich,” Dunlevy said. “But we were confident and thought this course would suit us. We’re delighted to retain the title from Glasgow.”
It was another success for Dunlevy, who’s very much made this event her own. Not only did she win gold in Paris, but she was victorious at the Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 Paralympics too, with pilot Eve McCrystal (who piloted Josephine Healion in Zurich, finishing fourth). In total, Dunlevy has eight Paralympic medals to her name in both the time trial and road race, plus seven para-cycling UCI world titles and two world titles in rowing.
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.