After the magnificent cycling events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, all attention turns to the 16th Summer Paralympic Games. Eight days are dedicated to para-cycling in Japan, with the world’s best women and men seeking Paralympic glory in the four divisions of the discipline: cycling (conventional bikes with minor adaptations), tricycle (three-wheeled bikes), tandem (visually impaired athletes with pilot) and handcycle.
Four days of track cycling come first – from Wednesday 25 to Saturday 28 August – with time trials, pursuits and team sprints. Four days of road follow, from Tuesday 31 August to Friday 3 September, with individual time trials followed by road races.
The para-cycling programme commences at the Izu velodrome (250m track) with individual pursuits; the final para-cycling events of this edition of the Games are the tandem races at the Fuji International Speedway circuit. The venues that witnessed high drama during the Olympics will showcase thrilling competition at the Paralympics, aired live to a global audience.
For some athletes this will be the first truly international competition since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. As riders conclude their preparations and head to Japan, we asked some of the participants about their objectives and feelings.
“These will be a different Games, but I think they will be completely safe, and we thank the Japanese people for their tremendous efforts,” said Spain’s Ricardo Ten Argiles, the C1 UCI World Champion who is a multiple Paralympian. “We have worked with uncertainty due to the pandemic, but we have been very meticulous, training at altitude (in the Sierra Nevada). We have done a lot of testing as there have been few benchmark competitions. We have prioritised the track in our training, but without forgetting the time trial.”
Belgium’s Tim Celen, UCI World Champion in T2 Tricycle, told us his preparations had been good. “Since my UCI World title in Cascais, Portugal, I have concentrated on the Paralympics. I hope for a good result in Tokyo. I think the protagonists of the UCI World Championships will play a major role in the time trial and road race.”
Tim’s Belgian compatriot Griet Hoet rides tandem with pilot Anneleen Monsieur. The two women rode together at Rio 2016 and won a round of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Ostend in May.
“Last month we trained hard, like all selected athletes, I guess. We want to be ready for the races and give the best of ourselves!”
“In a road race, anything can happen. But the Irish and the British teams are the favourites. The difficult thing for the TT and road race is the climate. The riders who can best handle the high temperatures will win I think.”
Tim de Vries, former UCI World Champion for H5 Handcycle has learned from his experience in Cascais.
“After my disappointing UCI World Championships I sat down with my team to discuss my preparations for the Games. We changed several things. I am already feeling much better and that makes me eager to race again.”
Tim wants to succeed for the Netherlands but is facing strong opposition: “I expect everybody to be on top form. After racing against them in the UCI World Cup and UCI World Championships, I think that my compatriot Mitch [Valize] and the French rider [Loïc] Vergnaud will do well.”
The experienced Paralympic gold medallists Carol Cooke and David Nicholas bring their experience to a youthful Australian squad. “It’s one of the strongest teams we’ve sent to a Paralympic Games for a long time,” said AusCycling Technical Director Warren McDonald.
“Being Australia-based we haven’t been able to travel or race internationally in the past year or so but previous to Covid we had some great results on the track and road. It will be a bit of an unknown but I’m quietly confident that we’ve been able to prepare very well here.”
The six-strong New Zealand team includes Rio tricyclist Stephen Hills. “This year has been one of intensive preparation through national competitions and training camps,” he said. “I'm looking forward to representing my country again on the world stage."
Also on the New Zealand team for Japan are favourites Sarah Ellington and Eltje Malzbender, along with Rory Mead, Nicole Murray and Anna Taylor, all making their Paralympic debuts.
US Paralympics Cycling announced a strong squad after the Minneapolis trials in June. “In every event in which we have an athlete entered, we have a medal chance,” said Director Ian Lawless.
WC4 cyclist Shawn Morelli is one to watch but will be without her fellow Rio medallist Samantha Bosco after a training accident. Keep an eye too on Will Groulx (MH2), who swapped Paralympic gold in wheelchair rugby for gold in handbike at Rio 2016, and he wants more!
Belgium’s Tim Celen, who rode at Rio aged 18, is one of many who expects the Paralympic Games to be highly successful: “The Olympics were very well covered on TV and social media. I hope the Paralympics will be equally well covered for everyone back home. Every Paralympian deserves the attention they get.”
The global festival of para-cycling starts on 25 August.
C – Cycling (conventional bikes with minor adaptations)
T – Tricycle (three-wheeled bikes)
B – Tandem (visually impaired athletes with pilot)
H – Handcycle
Each division is split into sports classes defined by the para-athletes’ degree of impairment.