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Last Updated: 7 Aug 2018 - 8:39:52 AM |
Dunlevy and McCrystal Defend World Time Trial Title at Para-cycling Road World Championships
By Heather Boyle, CI Communications Officer
3 Aug 2018,
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**MEDAL ALERT - DUNLEVY AND MCCRYSTAL DEFEND WORLD TITLE IN ITALY **
Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal have defended their world title in the Time Trial at the UCI 2018 Para-cycling Road World Championships in Maniago, Italy today.
The Paralympic Champions finished the 27.7km Time Trial in a time of 35:26:37, seventeen seconds ahead of silver medalists Lora Fachie and Corrine Hall from Great Britain. Poland’s Iwona Podkoscielna and Aleksandra Teclaw rounded off the podium two minutes further afield.
Speaking after the race an elated Dunlevy described a technical hard course – “It was quite technical in the first part, and hard to stay on the power. In the straight sections we just got on the power together.
“We found out we won it ten minutes after the race and we are delighted. This had been what we have been aiming for since September – and it’s a different type of pressure to Rio or any other race. I had that belief that we could win.”
Pilot Eve McCrystal added that “it’s always hard to win a world title, but to defend it is even harder. We were told after one lap that we were ten seconds down – and we went on to win by almost twenty seconds. I knew our form was good going into it, and at this stage we have such confidence in each other.
“When you hear that you are down, you can either put your head down and give in, or you can just go for it. I could hear my children cheering for me at the sidelines, and we just went for it. When we get to the second lap we really get into our stride. We can just carry it on and settle. We had a good ride – it was steady and it was consistent.”
This year Dunlevy has competed with several different pilots throughout the season – clocking up different experiences –
“It’s been great getting opportunities to race with other pilots and have different experiences, and it’s good to maybe not be winning all the times – and to be getting races!
“I really enjoyed the course today, it had a bit of everything. I kept my head down close to my watch and just listening to the beeps. On the second lap a cloud came over, which was lovely. I was starting to die coming through a town and then we hit the straight sections. Myself and Eve never want to let each other down and we do it for each other.”
In the Men’s B Tandem Time Peter Ryan and Sean Hahessy had a fantastic ride to finish in seventh place with a time of 32:42:56 – just over a minute behind world champions Great Britain. Damien Vereker and Dermot Radford were a further minute back in 12th place with 33:45:54.
Ronan Grimes finished 12th in the Men’s C4 Time Trial with a time of 38:24:69 and Colin Lynch was also 12th in the Men’s C2 Time Trial with 19:59:01.
Tomorrow the attention moves to the Road Races, with Declan Slevin competing in the Men’s H3 race. The Paracycling Road World Championships run from the 2nd – 5th August.
RESULTS
Women’s B Tandem Time Trial 27.2km
Gold IRELAND – Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal
Silver Great Britain 35:43:38
Bronze Poland 37:30:15
Men’s B Tandem Time Trial 27.2km
Gold Great Britain 31:31:76
Silver Netherlands 31:32:31
Bronze Poland 31:53:63
7th IRELAND - Peter Ryan & Séan Hahessy 32:42:56
12th IRELAND – Damien Vereker & Dermot Radford 33:45:54
Men’s C4 Time Trial 27.2km
Gold Jozef Metelka (SVK) 33:50:26
Silver Sergei Pudov (RUS) 35:05:34
Bronze Kyle Bridgwood (AUS) 35:45:92
12th Ronan Grimes (IRL) 38:24:69
Men’s C2 Time Trial 13.6km
Gold Arslan Gilmutdinov (RUS) 18:32:79
Silver Tristen Chernove (CAN) 18:38:36
Bronze Alejandro Perea Arango (COL) 18:40:89
12th Colin Lynch (IRL) 19:59:01
Irish Team for 2018 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships
Peter Ryan (MB) with pilot Sean Hahessy – Drombane, Co. Tipperary – DOB: 29/04/1990 and Carrick on Suir, Co. Tipperary – DOB: 03/06/1995
Damien Vereker (MB) with pilot Dermot Radford – Waterford – DOB: 04/06/1980 and Puddington, Co. Tipperary – DOB: 13/03/1974
Katie George Dunlevy (WB) with pilot Eve McCrystal - Maidenhead, UK – DOB: 26/11/1981 and Dundalk, Louth – DOB: 28/07/1978
Ronan Grimes (MC4) – Dublin, Ireland – DOB: 24/12/1988
Colin Lynch (MC2) – Marple Bridge, UK – DOB: 16/12/1970
Declan Slevin (MH3) – Moate, Co. Westmeath – DOB: 22/01/1969
Schedule of events
SCHEDULE:
Saturday 4th August Road Races
15:45 Men’s MH3 68km
Declan Slevin
Sunday 5th August Road Races
08:00 Men’s C4 81.6km
Ronan Grimes
08:02 Men’s C2 68km
Colin Lynch
14:30 Men’s B Tandem 108.8km
Peter Ryan & Séan Hahessy
Damien Vereker & Dermot Radford
14:32 Women’s B Tandem 81.6km
Katie-George Dunlevy & Eve McCrystal
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About Classification in Paralympic Sport:
Classification is a unique and integral part of Paralympic sport. It provides the structure to separate athletes with similar levels of impairments into groups, or classes as they are commonly known, so they can compete in fair and equal competitions against one another, and ensure that winning is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus. This same principle exists in non-Paralympic sports where athletes are classified according to age, gender or weight divisions to allow for as fair competition as possible.
In para-cycling there are fourteen classifications based on functional disability type. B refers to the tandems, where the stoker is blind or visually impaired, and the pilot is sighted. H represents the handcycling events, and C refers to cyclists on regular, but adapted, solo bikes, who may have cerebral palsy, limb impairments and amputations. In these events the categories have numbers denoting the level of impairment, the lower numbers the more severe the impairments and the higher less so.
For more information on Para-cycling:
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