Paralympic News – From Belgium To Manchester World Cup

The 5-stage tour of Belgium finished on Sunday with a gruelling 100km crit race. The tour has become the leading tandem stage race in the European calendar, and this year had increased significance in the run-up to the Beijing games in September. The Irish squad were holding their own in a field of over fifty tandem teams from all over Europe and North America.

Cycling Ulster’s Andy Fitzgerald and his Bray Wheelers pilot John Lynch were improving as the event wore on, after having had a shaky start on stage two, when they sustained a front wheel puncture and only narrowly avoided a serious crash. The delay thus resulted in them being lapped by one of the spainish teams and being penalised with six minute penalties.

They had narrowed the deficit to a mere 8 seconds behind the second placed Irish bike of White/Collis before the commencement of the final stage, and managed to overtake the lads by 58 seconds.
The Irish GC finishes were as follows

Delaney/Peelo 23
Fitzgerald/Lynch 30
White/Collis 31

There is no let-up for the squad as they fly out today to compete in the Visa Paralympic World Cup in Manchester, closely followed by the Welsh Grand Prix at Newport Velodrome. Events include 1km TT , 4km pursuit and omnion.

Emma Fitzgerald : Cycling Ulster Disability Commission

Paralympic World Cup highlight of busy month for Paralympic Squad

May is an extremely busy month for the Irish Paralympic Cycling Squad as they continue their preparations for the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

The biggest event is this weeks Paralympic World Cup at the Manchester Velodrome on the 8th & 9th May, where the top teams from all over the world will be competing in the third biggest event on the Paralympic Cycling calendar behind the World Championships and the Paralympic Games.

Ireland will be represented by:-
Male tandem pairings of Michael Delaney & David Peelo and Andrew Fitzgerald & John Lynch.
Female Tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and Joanna Hickey
LC1 cyclist Cathal Miller
Cerebral palsy cyclist Enda Smyth

BBC will be providing coverage so keep a look out for the squad.

Last week the tandem pairings took part in the 5 stage Tour of Belgium on the road with the girls finishing in 6th place in the female race and Michael & David best of the lads in 24th place overall.

On Sunday 11th the tandems compete in a Track Omnium again in Manchester and the full squad then travels to Newport to compete in the Paralympic Grand Prix of Wales on Monday 12th.