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Preview: Australians to begin UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup season in Italy
Apr 19, 2023
International racing returns for Australia’s para-cyclists this week at the opening round of the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Italy from April 20-23.
Twelve Australians will race in Maniago, located in Italy’s north-eastern region, Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Of the 12 Aussies competing, seven will wear Australian Cycling Team colours, while five will compete as independently entered athletes.
The Australian Cycling Team contingent is comprised of Paralympians Alistair Donohoe, Darren Hicks, Stuart Jones, Carol Cooke, Paige Greco, Emily Petricola and Meg Lemon.
Multiple H3 national champion Alex Welsh, and tandem riders Kieran Murphy and Steven Kemp make up the independent contingent. Murphy is piloted by 2019 elite men’s road race national champion Michael Freiberg, while Kemp is piloted by Peter Spencer.
Racing begins in Maniago on Thursday with H1-5 and T1-2 time trials, followed by C1-5 and tandem time trials on Friday, and then road races on Saturday and Sunday.
The second day of competition marks the return of Petricola, who has not raced since winning three world championships at the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in France last October.
The Paralympic gold medallist said that break was both a necessity and a tactical decision.
“Initially, I needed a break after track worlds, as my body was pretty cooked. But then looking forward to Glasgow and Paris we needed to map a plan that gets us the outcomes we are looking for at those events rather than every event possible,” Petricola said.
“That meant having to sacrifice some racing in the early part of the rebuild which was hard but definitely feels like the right decision. I also had work commitments which meant I couldn’t be available for some of the more recent racing as well.
“I’m feeling both excited and nervous about racing again. It feels like a long time since I’ve put a TT helmet on and destroyed myself for 40-odd minutes!”
With four months still to come before the inaugural multi-discipline UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, it means Maniago is the first major piece to the puzzle for Petricola, who only recently introduced intensity back into her training.
Emily Petricola time trialling to a silver medal at the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Baie-Comeau, Canada. Picture: SWpix
“This week is just about getting a measure of where I’m at,” Petricola said.
“With my school rowing work commitments wrapped up earlier this month, I’ll be able to focus more on my own training and recovery for the remainder of the year.
“We know I’ve done some good work in training over the last two months, so Maniago and then Ostend in Belgium the week after will help us get a line in the sand to build better form for Glasgow and refine the plan for Paris.”
The time trials and road races will be raced on a smooth, fast 13.6km circuit through the streets of Maniago and Montereale Valcellina.
The circuit contains one punchy climb, with an average gradient of 3.2% for 750 metres.
“There’s a bit of technical riding with a descent onto a narrow bridge, but provided people are sensible, it shouldn’t present any issues,” Petricola said of the course.
Australian Cycling Team in Maniago:
- Alistair Donohoe (C5)
- Darren Hicks (C2)
- Stuart Jones (T2)
- Carol Cooke (T2)
- Paige Greco (C3)
- Emily Petricola (C4)
- Meg Lemon (C4)
Independent Australians in Maniago:
- Alex Welsh (H3)
- Kieran Murphy/Michael Freiberg (Tandem)
- Steven Kemp/Peter Spencer (Tandem)