Italian, Dutch cyclists dominate first World Cup

Hosts Italy and the Netherlands secured seven wins each at the first 2017 UCI Para cycling Road World Cup in Maniago, from 12-14 May.

The local crowd celebrated the victories of Paralympic champions Luca Mazzone (road race and time trial H2), Paolo Cecchetto (road race H3) and Vittorio Podesta (time trial H3) in the men’s events. Luisa Pasini (road race and time trial H1) and Fracesca Porcellato (time trial H3) were the two Italian winners amongst the women.

Dutch Paralympic gold medallist Jetze Plat (men’s H4) and Tim de Vries (men’s H5) achieved double success. Teammates Jenette Jansen (road race H5), Laura de Vaan (time trial H5) and Rio 2016 two-time gold medallist Alyda Norbruis (time trial C2) triumphed in the women’s races.

German cyclists also shined on Italian soil, sealing five victories. Paralympic champion Hans-Peter Durst (time trial T2) and Michael Teuber (time trial C1) emerged as winners in the team events, whilst Christiane Reppe (time trial H4), Denise Schindler (time trial C3) and Kerstin Brachtendorf (time trial C5) topped the podium amongst women.

Another cyclist who stood out was Lauro Chaman, the first Brazilian to claim a Paralympic medal in the sport, who won the highly-competitive men’s time trial C5 ahead of Paralympic gold medallists Wolfgang Eibeck of Austria and Yehor Dementyev of Ukraine.

Para cyclists will now travel to Ostende, Belgium, to compete in the second World Cup between 18-21 May. The third and last will be held in Emmen, the Netherlands, from 30 June-2 July.

Full results can be found on UCI’s website.