UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup reaches mid-way in Ostend

Belgium hosts second round.

With Paralympic qualification and preparation important in many riders’ agendas, the second round of the 2024 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup, in Ostend, Belgium, was particularly intense.

Coming nearly four months after the first round in Adelaide, Australia, the competitions in Ostend will be closely followed by the third and final UCI World Cup round in Maniago, Italy.

Women B: the British out in force

The British tandems once again proved they are a force to be reckoned with. In the WB racing, Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl, took the double, winning both the 19.7km individual time trial (ITT) and leading a GB clean sweep in the 88.65km road race, from Elizabeth Jordan and Dannielle Khan with Lora Fachie and Corrine Hall in third.

Women C: time trial podiums reversed in road races

The win by Frances Brown (GBR) over Wangwei Qian in the WC1 9.85km ITT was reversed in the 49.25km road race where the Chinese rider was victorious. In the WC2 ITT Great Britain’s Daphne Schrager beat Maike Hausberger (GER) with the winner from Round 1 in Adelaide, Flurina Rigling (SUI) in third. The same trio made the road race podium: Rigling in first place, followed by Schrager then Hausberger. Similarly, the WC3 ITT podium – Anna Beck (SWE), Keiko Sugiura (JPN) and Xiaomei Wang (CHN) – was reversed for the road race: Wang, Sugiura, Beck.

After the USA’s Samantha Bosco took the WC4 ITT, Switzerland’s Franziska Matile-Dörig got the better of her in the road race. Alana Forster (AUS) repeated her Round 1 victory in the WC5 ITT, hitting 40.01km/h. In the 59.1km WC5 road race Mariela Analia Delgado (ARG) improved on her 2nd place in Adelaide.

Women H and Women T: Double victories in all sport classes

In the women’s handcycle and tricycle sport classes, all winners of the individual time trial went on to take victory in the road race.

Spain’s Manuela Vos Van den Bouwhuijsen beat Thailand’s Darin Sheepchondan in the WH1 ITT and road races, while both WH2 events went to Katerina Brim (USA). Australia’s Lauren Parker replicated her Round 1 home victories in both WH3 events, and Jennette Jansen (NED) achieved the double in WH4 racing. The USA’s Oksana Masters completed the handbike doubles by taking victory in both WH5 races in Ostend.

After victory in the WT1 ITT the Netherlands’ Marieke Van Soest was the only rider under 1-hour in the WT1 road race, at 0:58:31, which would have almost put her on the podium of the WT2 classification. And in the WT2 it was Switzerland’s Celine Van Till who repeated her Adelaide victories in road and TT.

Men B: The Dutch battle continues

In the 19.7km MB ITT Tristan Bangma and pilot Brian Megans repeated their Round 1 win to beat their Dutch compatriots Vincent Ter Schure and Timo Fransen by just 2-sec. But that order was reversed in Sunday’s Tandem road race.

Men C: four victories for France, three for Spain

Across the different Men C sport classes, French athletes took four wins (two in the ITT and two in the road race) and Spain three (all in the time trials). Other victories went to athletes from China, Great Britain and the Netherlands.

Spain’s Ricardo Ten Argiles followed his Adelaide win in the Ostend 9.85km MC1 time trial ahead of Michael Teuber (GER). In the road race China’s Weicong Liang got the better of Ten Argiles. Frenchman Alexandre Léauté won both the MC2 ITT and road race ahead of Belgian’s own Ewoud Vromant.

The 19.7km MC3 ITT saw Spain’s Eduardo Santas Asensio beat Germany’s Matthias Schindler. Great Britain’s Finlay Graham won the 68.95km road race ahead of Round 1 victor, Thomas Peyroton-Dartet (FRA). Damian Ramos Sanchez (ESP) overcame Kevin Le Cunff (FRA) in the MC4 ITT before the Frenchman took top spot in the 88.65km road race. Great Britain’s 19-year-old multi-disciplinary Archie Atkinson was on the podium in both races.

Another Frenchman, Dorian Foulon, won the MC5 time trial before the road race in the same classification delivered a Netherlands 1-2 as Martin van de Pol won from Daniel Abraham Gebru.

Men H and Men T: home wins for Hordies, Van de Steene and Celen

In the Men’s handbike racing, Belgium celebrated a home win with Maxime Hordies who claimed the MH1 19.7km ITT ahead of Round 1 winner, Fabrizio Cornegliani (ITA). Hordies delivered again in the 4-lap MH1 road race.

Florian Jouanny (FRA) beat Sergio Garrote Muñoz (ESP) in the MH2 ITT – but the Spaniard came back to get gold in the 49.25km road race. The French flag flew for Mathieu Bosredon in both of Ostend’s MH3 races.

It was Belgian joy again when Jonas Van de Steene (MH4 ITT) got the better of Thomas Frühwirth (AUT) just as in Round 1. Mitch Valize (NED) posted the fastest MH5 ITT time, averaging 41.63km/h over the 19.7km. It was the Swiss Fabian Recher who triumphed in the 68.95km MH5 handbike race.

The MT1 tricycles races saw Chinese dominance as Jianxin Chen repeated his Round 1 victory in the time trial. The three-lap road race then saw a Chinese 1-2 with Rongfei Lu ahead of Chen. But the dominant performance came from a Belgian in the MT2 races, with Tim Celen the home winner in both events.

Team relay: mixed team takes the honours

The final event of the weekend was the team relay, with 18 teams of three male and female hand-cyclists competing over 9 laps of a 2km course. It was a mixed-nations team who emerged victorious, with Alexander Welsh (AUS) MH3, Lauren Parker (AUS) WH3 and Jetze Plat (NED) MH4.

Round 3 of the 2024 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup starts 16 May in Maniago, Italy, Then focus shifts to the Paris 2024 Paralympics, starting late August, before September’s UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland.

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.