42.583 is the number of kilometres covered by Germany’s Michael Teuber on his way to the UCI Hour Record in the C1 class. In Berlin on November 30th, the 50-year-old semi-paraplegic smashed his own record of 39.326km set in 2005. The new mark set by the five-time Paralympic Champion also betters the Hour Record for the less-disabled C3 class.
155 athletes from 30 countries took part in the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio, Brazil, from March 22 to 25. It was the first time since the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games that an International Federation had returned to the Barra Olympic Park for an event of this stature.
15 is the number of para-cycling rainbow jerseys earned by Great Britain’s Jody Cundy during his career: “The feeling is just as good pulling this one on as the first,” he said after his victory in the Men’s C4 kilo in Rio. That was after his 14th win, but at the same Championships he went on to claim the C1-5 team sprint alongside team-mates Louis Rolfe, Jon-Allan Butterworth.
4 world records were set at the Velodromo Municipal do Rio during the Para-cycling Track Worlds. The British women’s tandem of Sophie Thornhill and Helen Scott established two new world marks: 1:05.079 for the 1km time trial and 10.891 in the 200m sprint. In the Women’s C1 500m time trial, China’s Jieli Li set a new record of 43.430. Meanwhile, Australian Emily Petricola set a new world mark of 3:54.501 over 3km in the WC4 individual pursuit.
8 French para-cyclists gave an unprecedented demonstration of handbiking during the 2018 Tour de France. On stage three - a 35.5km team time trial in Cholet - the French handbikers took to the start ramp one hour before the Tour de France competitors, covering the same course. “It is not a question of comparing our performance with those of the professional riders but more to put para-cycling in the spotlight,” explained French Handisport Federation Cycling Sport Director Jérôme Dupré.
343 athletes from 46 nations took part in the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Maniago, Italy, in August. A particularly hard-fought competition as this 8th edition of the Worlds was the first World Championship event counting towards qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
14 consecutive World titles in the T1 category for Canada’s Shelley Gautier. With her two wins in Maniago, she has now won every time trial and road race world title since her category was established in 2010.
17 medals at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships for hosts Italy, followed by the USA (15) and the Netherlands (13). All three nations won nine gold medals.