Stage Two of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup began with Time Trial events, Sunday, in Yverdon-les-Bains Switzerland. Winners of two medals each in Stage One, several athletes remain undefeated in their respective categories: Poland’s Anna Harkowska (C5), Team U.S.A.’s Shawn Morelli (C4), France’s Quentin Aubague (T1) and Team Slovakia’s Jozef Metelka (C4).
In the C5 Class, Polish athlete Anna Harkowska (19 minutes 22.17 seconds) was the fastest over 14.15 kilometers, and held onto a comfortable lead over her competitors. Canada’s Nicole Clermont (20 minutes 50.54 seconds) took the silver medal while Germany’s Kerstin Brachtendorf (21 minutes 19.76 seconds) came in for bronze.
Team U.S.A.’s Shawn Morelli also hung onto her winning ways in the C4 Class, with a time of 20 minutes 46.47 seconds. Morelli’s teammate Megan Fisher (20 minutes 53.28 seconds) took silver and made it a double for the U.S.A. Canada’s Marie-Claude Molnar earned the remaining podium spot with her time of 21 minutes 32.32 seconds.
France’s Quentin Aubague maintained his reign in the T1 Category; with a time of 26 minutes 45.74 second, Aubague was a solid 2 minutes ahead of nearest rival, the Czech Republic’s Jiri Hindr. Russia’s Sergey Semochkin came in third place with 29 minutes 32.24 seconds.
Jozef Metelka from Slovakia won his third event of the young racing season completing the 28.3 kilometers in the C4 Class in 35 minutes 39.41 seconds. Germany’s Thomas Schafer (36 minutes 54.46 seconds) took the silver medal, ahead of Spain’s Cesar Neira Perez (36 minutes 56.09 seconds).
Last weekend’s double gold medallist in the H1 Class, Finland’s Teppo Polvi, grabbed a bronze medal with a time of 32 minutes 42.05 seconds. Silver went to the Czech Republic’s Patrik Jahoda (32 minutes 38.73 seconds), while gold went to South Africa’s Nicolas Pieter Du Preez (30 minutes 24.93 seconds).
Germany’s Michael Teuber – C1 Class Time Trial World Champion made good on his title with a win in a time of 19 minutes 39.09 seconds. Last weekend Teuber dominated both the Time Trial and the Road Race. Team Germany’s Erich Winkler (20 minutes 28.18 seconds) – a two-time silver medallist in Maniago – took the bronze medal this weekend with a time of (20 minutes 28.18 seconds), while silver went to Italy’s Giancarlo Masini (20 minutes 04.07 seconds).
In Tandem Category racing, winners in Maniago, Team the Netherland’s duo of Vincent Ter Schure and Timo Fransen (pilot) repeated their winning experience this weekend with a time of 32 minutes 26.98 seconds, beating out Team U.S.A.’s Aaron Scheidies and Colin Riley (pilot) by 47.19 seconds. Team Spain’s Carlos Gonzalez Garcia and pilot Noel Martin Infante (33 minutes 34.01 seconds)
Team Poland took the first two steps of the podium in the Hand Cycling H4 Class. Rafal Wilk took the gold, covering the 14.5 kilometers in 19 minutes 37.81 seconds, finishing 10.99 seconds ahead of teammate Krystian Giera. Germany’s Bernd Jeffre (19 minutes 50.57 seconds) completed the podium.
The UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup continues Monday and Tuesday with road racing events. Though the Time Trial course was flat, this week’s road races are hilly, with one climb lasting 4 kilometers.