The 2015 UCI Para-cycling competition season has just begun with the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships currently underway on 26 March in the small town of Apeldoorn, in the Netherlands. Multiple objectives were considered in selecting the South African team to compete in these championships. Most important, was the focus on the development of the competitive potential of riders targeted for team selection for Rio 2016.
A second objective was to introduce two riders, competing internationally on the track for the first time, to the fast learning experience that the World Championships offers. For some of the riders, a third objective was to reinforce their road-racing competitive potential through the development of sprinting capability that track cycling offers.
From left to right: Juan Odendaal, Mike Burns (Team Manager), Roxy Burns, Dane Wilson, Corne Bence (Team Coach) and Craig Ridgard. // Photo: Supplied.
The first South African rider in the starting blocks on Day 1 of the World Championships was seasoned rider Roxy Burns (C3 class), who claimed 5th place in the individual time trial. Burns, who took a break from cycling in 2014 to finish her university studies, was reasonably happy with her performance – especially since she has been back in the saddle for only three months doing base training (rather than specialised track) training. She is certain that a podium finish will be easily within her grasp later in the year and going into 2016.
Craig Ridgard (C2 class), who has engaged in track racing for only the past six months, rode his time trial exactly to plan. Through the World Championships experience, his dual aims are to establish a foundation upon which to build his competitive track-racing profile over time and to enhance his sprint and general racing capabilities for the UCI road World Cup series of races in which he will compete later in the year. Ridgard, who favours longer race distances, is certain to work his way up the ranking of finish positions in the rest of the championship programme, from his 18th place finish in today’s time trial.
Juan Odendaal, who has just made the transition from junior to senior Para-cycling, carried himself remarkably well in his first ever major international event. No finishing position targets for the World Championships have been set for Odendaal by the South African team’s management; rather, the aim is to have him set his own foundation from which to develop as an internationally competitive rider over the next decade. There is no better place to observe how the elite riders compete at the highest level – their race preparedness, tactics, equipment choice, etc. By finishing 16th in today’s time trial, Odendaal did his country proud by giving it his absolute all.
The experienced rider Dane Wilson (C5) was the last of South Africa’s riders to compete on the day. Exemplary in all facets of his race preparedness and execution of race strategy, Wilson improved significantly on his recent African Continental Championship performance in today’s time trial. Competing for the first time in a new custom-design arm prosthetic, he achieved one of the fastest speeds for the race at mid-point. His finish time, which placed him 11th, was unfortunately a few seconds slower than his race target; however, with a rest day before his next events (in which he specialises) there will be good opportunity for him to deliver at his full potential.
Cycling SA Team Manager, Mike Burns
