2012 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup: overall winners to be decided in Canada

The winners of the 2012 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup will be decided in Baie-Comeau, Canada, this weekend.

After the first two World Cup rounds in Rome and Segovia, and just two months before the road events at the Paralympic Games, the athletes are not far off their peak form of the season.

While some athletes have chosen to skip the Canadian round in favour of their Paralympic preparation, others are already training in Baie-Comeau with their eyes clearly set on the overall World Cup win.

The Canadian public will be particularly focused on four of their para-cyclists who will be wearing the leader’s jersey this weekend. For Robbi Weldon (WB), Marie-Claude Molnar (WC4), Shelley Gautier (WT1) and Marie-Eve Croteau (WT2) good performances in the time trial and road races will secure them the overall win in their respective sporting classes. It would be a particularly fitting finish to the series for Marie-Eve Croteau, World Cup winner in 2011 and spokeswoman for the Baie-Comeau round this year.

Three other athletes arrive in Canada to defend their leader’s jerseys: the Czech Jiri Jezek (MC4), and two Americans Cassie Mitchell (WH1) and Monica Bacio (WH3).

Baie-Comeau hosts the World Cup for the second time after the final round in 2011. It was also the destination of the 2010 UCI Para-cycling Road Championships.

“We are delighted to return to this popular destination,” said UCI Para-cycling Coordinator Christophe Cheseaux. “The sporting show in Baie-Comeau has always been very exciting, and in addition the organisers Paramanic International place a lot of emphasis on culture and eco-responsible practices. They were the first organisers to be awarded the UCI’s eco-label ReCycling,” he added.

The third round of the 2012 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup gets under way on Friday July 6th with the time trials, followed by two days of road races.

Para-cycling sport classes

C – Cyclist: conventional bike with some minor adaptations

T – Tricycle: three-wheeled bike

B – Blind: tandem

H – Handbike

W- Women

M – Men

Each group is divided into different sport classes depending on the severity of the handicap

Photo: The road race course in Baie-Comeau takes riders along the coast