WAIS Athletes Named on Cyclones Squad for Road World Champs
WAIS scholarship holders Nigel Barley and Clare McLean have been selected onto the Australian Cyclones team for the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships to be held in Baie-Comeau Canada, from August 29.
London 2012 Paralympic silver medallist Barley, will compete in the handcycle time trial and road race, the events he recently claimed national road championships in at the national titles in Victoria.
McLean will compete in the C5 women’s road race for Australia, and will form part of a strong Australian team that is favoured to be in the hunt for medals.
The team is headlined by two reigning road world champions in Canberra’s Susan Powell (C4) and Queensland’s David Nicholas (C3). The pair both tasted success on the road at the 2012 London Paralympics, with Nicholas winning gold in the time trial and bronze in the road race, while Powell claimed silver in the time trial.
Fellow 2012 Paralympic champion Carol Cooke of Victoria (T2) has also been named, along with multiple world and Paralympic track cycling gold medallist MichaelGallagher (C5)of Victoria and Jayme Richardson (C1) of New South Wales.
“The team has a very strong blend of experience with our more experienced and medalpotentialathletes being joined by several young athletes who have recently put their hand up which is great to see,” said Para-Cycling Performance Director and Head Coach Peter Day.
“With the selection of six Handcyclists across the various classifications, selectors continued Cycling Australia and the Australian ParalympicCommittees’ initiative to progressively andstrategicallystrengthen the Australian contingent across the very competitive disciplines within international Handcycling,” Day said.
The riders will depart Australia in early August to compete in the UCI WorldCup event in Matane, Canada, from August 23.
“We see thisWorld Cup as a tremendous opportunity for theathletes,who will still be acclimatising and adjusting to time differences,to compete in a international event as part of their preparation for the World Championships,” added Day.
– Cycling Australia