The 2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Baie-Comeau, Canada, are rapidly approaching (11-14 August ). Time trial and road race medals are available for the world’s greatest para-cyclists. Here’s a snapshot of the stars to look out for…
Men’s tandem: Bang on for Bangma
It’s hard to look beyond the Netherlands’ Tristan Bangma and pilot Patrick Bos in the MB category. Twenty-four-year-old Bangma has enjoyed an unbeaten season so far, winning the road race and time trial in rounds one and two of the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup plus European titles in both events. That’s to add his two Olympic golds on the track: in the 1km time trial and individual pursuit at the 2016 and 2020 Paralympics, respectively.
Women’s tandem: Will green turn gold?
In the WB races, will Irish eyes be smiling on Katie-George Dunlevy and her pilot, Eve McCrystal? Their two victories in the final round of the 2022 UCI Para-cycling World Cup in Quebec City saw them claim the overall title. That’s complemented by gold and silver from the European Championships. Dunlevy will face stiff competition from Poland’s Justyna Kiryla and Great Britain’s Sophie Unwin, who sit in second and third, respectively, in the UCI World Cup rankings on 228 and 224 points.
MC3: In-form Graham
Great Britain’s Finlay Graham will look to continue his stellar season in Canada. The double silver medallist from Tokyo has cranked things up a gear or two in 2022, enjoying a time trial and road race clean sweep from the first two rounds of the 2022 UCI Para-cycling World Cup plus gold and silver at the Europeans.
He did not compete in the last UCI World Cup round, but Graham’s preparation for Baie-Comeau included a recent training trip to Belgium with his dad where the two ascended the famous, or infamous, Muur.
WH3: Zeyen the one to beat
Germany’s Annika Zeyen is a sporting chameleon. She used to ride horses until a serious riding accident left her paralysed. During rehab she took up wheelchair basketball and would win gold at the 2012 London Paralympics. She then took up wheelchair athletics in 2016, enjoying further success, before settling on handbiking in 2019. Since then, she’s won gold and silver at the 2022 Tokyo Paralympics plus grabbed UCI World titles in Emmen, the Netherlands (2019) and Cascais, Portugal (2021). The 37-year-old goes into Baie-Comeau as hot favourite after winning six of the seven races she’s entered this year including two European Championship victories and three wins at the UCI World Cup (two road races and one time trial).
MH4: Watch out for Plat attack
Jetze Plat is an athlete who transcends para-sport. That’s not just down to his success in para-cycling but para-triathlon, too. In both, he’s a double Paralympic gold medallist, winning time trial and road race golds in Tokyo, and para-triathlon gold medals in both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. On the face of it, he might look off form, nestling down in 12th in the UCI World Cup rankings behind leader Alexander Gritsch. However, he only raced the Elzach leg, finishing first and third, respectively, in the road race and time trial.
The Dutch athlete would appear to acclimatise well to Canada: four weeks ago he won the Montreal leg of the 2022 World Triathlon Para Series.
WC5: The Storey continues…
Great Britain’s Dame Sarah Storey may not have raced a UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup race this season but that won’t stop the 44-year-old being the one to beat in Baie-Comeau. Storey is one of the most decorated athletes in para-sport history, her 17 Paralympic golds across para-cycling and para-swimming the highest-ever in her home nation. She’s also won an incredible 40 world titles, and is the Active Travel Commissioner for the Greater Manchester area, charged with getting more people onto bikes. It’s why she’s had less chance to ride hers in 2022 though, rather ominously, she recently recorded her fastest 10-mile time trial since 2016. Her greatest threat will come from compatriot Crystal Lane-Wright who leads the 2022 UCI World Cup rankings.
MH5: Dutch delight?
Twenty-seven-year-old Mitch Valize (NED) enjoyed his first-ever UCI World Cup win during round one in Ostend (Belgium) back in May, in the time trial. He then went on to win both the road race and time trial at the second round in Elzach (Germany) the following week. And to top it off, he won double European gold at the end of May.
It’s a far cry from a few years past when the Dutch athlete had set his sights on a career managing athletes when studying Health Sciences and Human Movement Sciences at Maastricht University. After experiencing problems and pain with his prosthesis (he was born with an under-developed left leg) he had his left foot amputated… and became one of the strongest para-cyclists in the world. “Having my foot amputated and becoming an athlete is one of the best decisions of my life,” he said in 2018. Will that decision be rewarded with gold in Canada?
Keep up with all the action, including live coverage, at www.paracyclismebaiecomeau.com.
Brief explanation of para-cycling sport classes
C – Cyclist: conventional bike with adaptations if necessary
T – Tricycle: three-wheeled bike
B – Visually impaired: tandem bicycle ridden with sighted pilot
H – Handbike
Each group is divided into different sport classes (1 to 5), with the lower the number indicating greater impairment.