New Zealand para-cyclist Rory Mead had scored an encouraging road race podium in the opening UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Belgium today.
In a race featuring the three podium medallists from the Paris Paralympics, the US-based kiwi showed the benefits of a new training regime to finish third in the 47km four-lap road race in Bruges.
He finished third behind the gold and silver medallists from Paris in Florian Jouanny (FRA), who dominated today’s race from the front, and Spain’s Sergio Garrote Munoz.
Mead went with the super-fast lead pack, held on to the pace and managed to edge Israel’s Amit Hasdai in the sprint finish to grab third place in the high quality field.
“It came down to the last lap and one of the riders had an incident where his foot came out of bike and he had to pull off, and it came down to a mad sprint for the finish line,” said Mead. “I gave it everything and came out with third – I am pumped with that.”
It was a morale-boost for his new training emphasis.
“After last year we decided to up the volume if we wanted to make the changes that we needed to change. The body feels so much better. Every time I get on the bike now, the arms feel like they know what to do and I feel stronger all round.
“I am really excited to get this year underway. It feels so good to get a podium at this first round. If we can keep building on that for later in the year and at the world champs come out swinging.
“Every time I get on the bike now the arms feel like they know what to do and I feel stronger all round so if we can keep that rolling, and keep building and building. We have got three years to LA and I really think we can squish that gap and come out with a podium there.”
Fellow kiwi Nicole Murray closes out the World Cup action for the kiwis tomorrow, with the women’s C5 road race over 58kms of the same lap course in Bruges.
Result, men’s H2 road race. 46.6km (4 laps): Florian Jouanny (FRA) 1:11.18, 1; Sergio Garrote Munoz (ESP) 1:14.23, 2; Rory Mead (NZL) 1:15.04, 3; Amit Hasdai (ISR) same time, 4.