Emmen 2019: Rainbow jerseys and Tokyo 2020 spots at stake at cycling Worlds

Cyclists will compete across time trial and road races in the Netherlands 11 Sep 2019

a group of male Para cyclists race along the road

Cyclists will also be chasing 2020 Paralympic qualification at the 2019 Para Cycling Road World Championships

ⒸOIS Photos

By UCI and IPC

The world’s best Para cyclists are in Emmen, Netherlands, for the 2019 UCI Para Cycling Road World Championships from Wednesday to Sunday. Athletes will not only be aiming for world titles in their respective categories, but also looking to consolidate their qualification campaigns for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Time trials

Action got under way Wednesday evening with the handbike (H1-5) team relay, covering nine 1.43km laps.

Thursday and Friday will be devoted to individual time trials with cycling (C) and tandem (B) categories up first.

The men’s C2 category will kick off Thursday’s action, with over two laps of a 10.4km course in and around Emmen. The three favourites look to be Belgium’s Ewoud Vromant, Canada’s Tristen Chernove, and the Czech Republic’s Ivo Koblasa, with just six points separating the three in the current world rankings. Also watch for Russia’s Arslan Gilmutdinov, who held off Chernove for gold in 2018.

In the women’s C5 and C4, Great Britain’s Dame Sarah Storey is returning to defend her C5 title. The 41-year-old won five Paralympic gold medals in swimming before turning to cycling in 2005, where she has four Paralympic titles, plus 14 road world medals and another 17 on the track. Germany’s world No. 1 Kerstin Brachtendorf however looks to challenge Storey.

Great Britain's Sarah Storey claimed her 30th world title months after giving birth to her second child. — Sarah Storey will try to defend her C5 title in the time trial

The USA’s Shawn Morelli will look to retain her C4 world crown, although she faces stiff competition from France’s Katell Alencon, who leads the rankings.

The men’s C1 time-triallists would see 2018 bronze medallist Ricardo Ten Argiles enter as the favourite after winning four titles across the road and time trial competitions in the 2019 UCI World Cup series. However, Germany’s Michael Teuber – holder of the C1 UCI Hour Record –will be looking to retain his title and add yet another rainbow jersey to his extensive collection.

Australia’s Paige Greco (C3), Austria’s Yvonne Marzinke (C2) and Great Britain’s Katie Toft (C1) are the top names in their respective categories.

The tandems will tackle three laps of the time trial course, for a distance of 31.2km. Thirty-nine-year-old Dutchman Vincent ter Schure and pilot Timo Fransen are favourites in the men’s competition after enjoying a clean sweep of victories across all three rounds of the UCI World Cup, in Corridonia, Italy; Ostend, Belgium; and Baie-Comeau, Canada.

Thursday’s events conclude with the women’s tandems, which could come down to a three-way battle between the leading two riders in the rankings – Poland’s Iwona Podkoscielna and Great Britain’s Lora Fachie– and Ireland’s 2018 winner Katie-George Dunlevy.

Friday will see athletes in the tricycle (T) and handbike (H) categories take to the time trial course, with the men’s T2 racing first over 20.8km. It could be a USA face-off as rankings leader Matthew Rodriguez contests 2018 world champion Ryan Boyle.

female Para cyclist Paige Greco smiles at two team officials — Paige Greco will see if her talents transfer from the track to the road

Australia’s Carol Cooke is the one to beat in the women’s T2 time trial, while Spain’s Gonzalo Garcia Abella, is the man in the T1 category.

The men’s H5 competition could well be an all-out confrontation between last year’s winner Tim de Vries from the Netherlands and Italian legend Alessandro Zanardi.

All eyes will then turn to Dutch machine Jetze Plat, who takes centre stage in the men H4 time trial. Plat won time trial gold in Corridonia and Ostend World Cups, and has Paralympic gold to his name in both cycling and triathlon.

Road races

The road races take off on Saturday, with the C and B categories first up.

Australia’s Paige Greco and Germany’s Denise Schindler are the favourites in the women’s C3 category over the 51.8km course, with Austria’s Yvonne Marzinke and Great Britain’s Katie Toft looking strong in C2 and C1, respectively.

Sunday – the final day of competition – features the tricycle and handbike road races, starting with the 29.2km MT2 event.

Last year’s winner Ryan Boyle of the USA is out to defend his title with his compatriot Matthew Rodriguez a danger, while the women’s T2 category looks to be a two-way affair between Australia’s Carol Cooke and Germany’s Jana Majunke.

Man in racing chair smiles crossing finish line tape — Jezte Plat is coming off a gold medal from the 2019 Para Triathlon World Championships a week ago

Spain’s Gonzalo Garcia Abella and Canada’s Shelley Gautier will be the ones to beat in the men’s and women’s T1 road races, while it would be hard to see beyond Jetze Plat winning the 66.6km H4 road race.

More on the 2019 Para Cycling Road World Championships is available on the UCI’s website.