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Ten Australians will be in action on Tuesday (31 August) when the Paralympic Games road cycling gets underway with individual time trial finals raced on a challenging eight kilometre at the Fuji Speedway circuit.
The first Aussie off the grid will be 2019 time trial C2 world champion Darren Hicks who says he loves the course.
“It couldn’t suit me anymore if it tried,” said Hicks, 36, of the circuit that he will cover three times. “The (time trial) course has fast corners, technical corners, couple of tough climbs, good aero straights – all the stuff I really enjoy so it’s a pretty cool track.”
Hicks last week claimed the silver medal in the C5 individual pursuit on the Izu Velodrome but says the road is really his ‘happy place’ and he’s going out to have as much fun as he can.
“I truly believe I am capable of winning the time trial,” said Hicks whose leg was amputated as a result of injuries sustained in a truck accident in 2014. ”I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, there’s a bit of pressure for sure but my body feels good and everything in the lead up has been good with fantastic trials and great times so now I just have to go out there and do it.”
Pursuit gold medallist Emily Petricola, 41, and Meg Lemon, 31, will both contest the women’s time trial C4. At the 2019 World Championships Petricola claimed gold while Lemon finished in third place but COVID forced the cancellation of the 2020 Worlds and Australia did not attend the 2021 event. Neither has tested themselves against an international field since then.
“I’m pretty excited to get it done because it’s been a long time coming and I’m excited to have good crack and see what I can do,” said Petricola who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 27 and admits she has been feeling the affects of last week’s world record performance on the track. “My body hasn’t been awesome for a few days, but my body is rarely awesome and that doesn’t seem to impact on my performance.
“My goal has always been to do both events really well and we always knew that it might happen this way so the plan was to enjoy it (track gold) for a minute and then it was all about getting the body right and fixing the little things going on with my body ahead of the time trial.”
Next off the starting ramp will be Paige Greco who last week was the first gold medallist of the Paralympic Games when she set two world records on day one on the velodrome to win the individual pursuit. She’ll contest the time trial C1-3 and the C3 rider says the win on the track has given her added motivation for the road.
“It has made me more determined and I’m looking forward to the race,” said the 24 year old former athlete who, since switching from running sprint events, has made her mark as an endurance cyclist. “I took a few days to let it soak in (my gold medal) and then I made sure I was recovering properly so I can go in fresh mentally and physically for the time trial – after all I’m not done yet so I can’t celebrate till I’ve finished.”
The hand cycles will be next on the course with Stuart Tripp in the H5 class and Grant Allen in the H4. For Tripp the time trial is all about control and making sure he paces himself.
51-year-old Tripp lost his leg in a car accident when he was 24 and made his Paralympic debut in 2012 and in Rio in 2016 claimed the time trial silver medal.
“It’s the race of truth and a battle between your mind and your body,” said Tripp. “The adrenaline is high by the time you get to the start line and you hope you are going to get the ‘giddy up’ on so you’re primed to do it and you know you have to go fast so your fight or flight kicks in and it’s like there is a dinosaur (the following competitor) behind me chasing so I have to control that urge to go ‘balls to the wall’ straight away and conserve as much as I can.
“I like feeling completing and utterly devastated at the end of the time trial not with one lap to go but I don’t like crossing the line feeling I could do it again,” he explained. “ It’s about knowing how much gas you have and when to empty the tank – that’s the battle within you.”
Meantime Allen, 41, will make his Paralympic debut tomorrow and is excited about his chance to compete on the biggest stage.
“It’s a very big moment and it’s not lost on me that I’m lucky to be here,” said Allen who a decade ago sustained a spinal cord injury in a mountain bike accident. “This is an extension of me as a person who is competitive and driven and wanting to be the best version of me that I can.
“I’m also proving a point that as much as something bad has happened to me I am far from broken and I’m here to show everyone at home what I can do.”
In the afternoon the final four Australians will have their chance with Alistair Donohoe up against a strong field in the 32km C5 time trial.
“I’m not sure what to expect, everyone at the Games is absolutely flying and there are five guys that could win so your guess is as good as mine right now,” said Donohoe of his expectations. “All I know is my form is good and I love the course, I’m keen to get out there and give it a red hot crack!”
“The best we can do is cross our fingers and hope it’s enough,” said the Victorian who was the 2019 world champion and in 2016 was on the podium in second place.
At the London 2012 Paralympic Games David Nicholas celebrated victory and he has three world titles to his credit in the C3 time trial but in Rio he missed out on a place and so has his sights set on getting back in the medals.
“I obviously want to be on top step on the podium but I am just aiming to put in a good performance and what comes of that will be what it is,” said Nicholas. “The TT course suits the type of rider I am because it has fast sections and punchy climbs. I also handle the heat and humidity well.”
The tricycles wrap up the time trial schedule with Stuart Jones (T2) in the men’s and Carol Cooke (T2) in the women’s T1-2 events.
Jones has incomplete quadriplegia as a result of a collision with a car when he was riding his bike to work. The 52-year-old is making his Games debut but believes the resilience he developed during his time in the army and his work with a sports psychologist will help him avoid feeling overwhelmed by the occasion.
“If I don’t get on the podium but I have done every little step all the way as well as I can then I can’t be disappointed,” he said. “I may not get a medal but I know I’ll give it everything I’ve got because this gives a purpose to why I had the accident.”
Jones joined the Royal Australian Army in 1987 as an 18 year old and was medically discard in 1994 because of damage to his lower back.
“My time in the infantry has lived with me the rest of my life and people might joke and call us grunts , etc., but I’m really proud to say I was a member of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps, “ said Jones. “My army experience helped me when I was dealing with my spinal cord injury in hospital because in the infantry you’re walking through the jungle with 30 kilos on your back in the pouring rain and you don’t ever give up, you have to just go on.
“You rely on the guy in front of you and guy behind you to not stop and to look out for you and they expect the same from you – you don’t give up you just go as hard as you possibly can,” explained Jones who demonstrated that resilience when he rode to a second place finish with a broken collar bone and dislocated shoulder after crashing in a world cup race in Belgium.
The last but by no means least of the Aussie team in action tomorrow is Carol Cooke who takes to the start line with the goal of claiming her third straight Paralympic Games time trial crown.
The 60-year-old, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998, has been in sport all her life starting in the pool then as a rower and since 2010 in road cycling.
Cooke also has five-time trial and four road race world titles to her credit along with a second gold from Rio where she also won the road race.
“I want to be on the centre of the podium here,” she said leaving noone in doubt about her aspirations in Tokyo. “I’ve left no stone unturned, I’ve done everything I possibly can, I’ve gotten stronger in the gym and even though I’ve gotten older I definitely want to be in the centre of podium, that’s my goal.”
But Cooke’s journey to Tokyo was almost derailed when she suffered a relapse last October, he first in 13 years.
“That was pretty tough, trying to get back from that, but I knew what to do,” said Cooke. “ I had two new lesions, one of my C5 and one of my brain, and where they were, I knew was causing the issues I was having so I had to plan my treatment so that it didn’t coincide with the Games and cause possible side effects.
“I’m pretty sure the coaches thought that was it for me and I was probably not going to come back from it because my ride at Nationals wasn’t the best, but I was just getting over having all the infusions and whatnot, and then when we had our trials, and I’d done really well Dave (Betts) the coach sat me down and says he’s really surprised,” Cooke explained. “I told him never be surprised because if I have the belief in myself that I can do it then I know that I’ll get there. I told him if I have the belief, you’ve got to have the belief.”
COVID safe for Cooke meant taking extra care due to her MS making her more vulnerable and she was registered for a vaccination as soon as they became available.
“My mindset, was that I tried not to worry about it but I did all the right things,” she said. “I wore a mask and even out riding I wore masks and that was tough. But I did it and I just thought I’ll do everything in my power possible to not be near anybody that’s going to possibly have it and I know that’s hard to do but you’ve got to trust your instincts and get on with the job at hand.”
Now that she’s made it to Tokyo Coke reflects on his incredible career to this point.
“Carol Cooke in London had no idea how to race at all. It was just like head down, bum up and go,” said Cooke reflecting on what she has learned since her Games debut. “Carol Cooke now is much more controlled and I’ve learned how to actually race for my own strengths, instead of just going full bore. Much more knowledgeable, much more wiser, and much more controlled.”
Tuesday 31 August
Schedule of starting times for Australian cyclists
08:07 JST (09:07 AEST) Men’s Time Trial C2 24km – Darren Hicks
08:33 JST (09:33 AEST) Women’s Time Trial C4 24km – Meg Lemon
08:35 JST (09:35 AEST) Women’s Time Trial C4 24km – Emily Petricola
09:06 JST (10:06 AEST) Women’s Time Trial C1-3 16km – Paige Greco (C3 factor 100%)
09:17 JST (10:17 AEST) Men’s Time Trial H5 24km – Stuart Tripp
09:31 JST (10:31 AEST) Men’s Time Trial H4 24km – Grant Allen
13:57 JST (14:57 AEST) Men’s Time Trial C5 32km – Alistair Donohoe
14:29 JST (15:29 AEST) Men’s Time Trial C3 24km – David Nicholas
15:28 JST (16:28 AEST) Men’s Time Trial T1-2 16km – Stu Jones (T2 factor 100%)
15:47 JST (16:47 AEST) Women’s Time Trial T1-2 16km – Carol Cooke (T2 factor 100%)
By: Paralympics Australia
Posted: 31 August 2021
Image: Instagram via Emily Petricola
