As ANZAC Day is commemorated in New Zealand, the world’s leading Para cyclists converge on the coastal community of Middelkerke in Belgium for the first UCI Para Cycling Road World Cup starting tomorrow.
The area, besieged by Germany in WW2, will host the World Cup with the race courses running on the flat coastal roads of West Flanders beside the North Sea near Dunkirk, with the time trial and road race over the same 10.2km loop.
Paralympic hand-cyclist Rory Mead is the sole New Zealander competing in the first of two world cup competitions, with the time trial on Wednesday (NZT) and the road race two days later.
Mead, 39, is based in Ohio, USA but has spent the summer training in his family home in Wellington.
The quadriplegic was fourth in both the H2 class UCI World Cup time trial and road race last year and was fifth in the time trial and fourth in the road race at the Paris Paralympics.
“The course is super narrow and flat which will not provide much in the way of a technical challenge for riders,” said Cycling New Zealand lead Paracycling Coach, Brendan Cameron.
“That said, the roads are narrow and have two-way directions and some tight corners. And hopefully we do not get too much in the way of strong winds off the sea.”
Mead competes in the time trial overnight NZ time with the road race on Thursday.
Rory Mead in action in the UCI Para Cycling Road World Cup in Belgium last year. (SWPix)