Cycling stars kick off at top international Para-Cycling event this week

Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ) is looking forward to further exciting Para-Sport activity this week as the New Zealand Para-Cycling team compete in the 2014 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Mexico from 10 – 13 April.

The small, but talented group of six athletes includes a number highly experienced cyclists and new tandem combinations.

The team is headlined by Paralympic medallists Fiona Southorn and tandem cyclists Phillipa Gray and Laura Fairweather (sighted pilot).  Phillipa and Laura took the trifecta at the London 2012 Paralympic Games with outstanding performances that included a world record.  Fiona won bronze in the 3km Pursuit and was New Zealand’s first medallist in London.



Paralympic medallists Fiona Southorn.  Credit:  Hannah Jonston/Getty Images.

This is the first World Track Championships since the London 2012 Paralympics and the gap year has given the opportunity for some experimentation within the tandem combinations. Phillipa Gray will take to the bike in the new pairing with pilot Kylie Young, who was formerly the pilot for well-known Para-Cyclist Jayne Parsons.  While Laura creates an equally strong team with rookie stoker Emma Foy.  Emma burst on the scene in August last year winning a Bronze medal at the Road World Championships in her first year of racing.

The sixth member of the team is one that is very familiar within Paralympic sport.  Former Paralympic track star and silver medallist (2008) Kate Horan recently moved into cycling two years ago and is very excited about competing her first World Championships.

The team will be lead by Head Performance Coach - Brendon Cameron.  He says, “We are quietly confident about this team as we believe we have prepared very wisely for these Championships being held at altitude.” He continues “This event was announced very late in the annual calendar and with host city of Aguascalientes being set at 1880m above sea level we had a very short time to develop a specific altitude training program.  Over the last five weeks we used some unique New Zealand resources that we’ve never used before including the Snow Farm in Wanaka and Altitude simulation labs throughout the country”.

Further details can be found at the event website - http://www.uci.ch/templates/UCI/UCI5/layout.asp?MenuId=MTU3ODU&LangId=1