Para-cycling (or paracycling/para cycling) is the sport of cycling adapted for cyclists who have various disabilities. It is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The sport consists of seven different events which include road and track races. The world's elite para-cyclists compete at Track and Road Worlds Championships since 1994, the Commonwealth Games, the Paralympic Games and the World Cup since 2010. [1]
Para-cycling originated in the 1980s, starting with visually impaired riders who competed on a tandem with a sighted partner. In New York 1984 it entered the Summer Paralympic Games, where it consisted of only road races for riders with cerebral palsy. [2] Over the next four Paralympic Games further events were added. In Atlanta 1996 track cycling was included as well as a variety of disabilities in various functional categories. Handcycling was included in the 2000 Sydney Paralympics as an exhibition event. [3]
Para-cycling events consist of the following three road races and five track events: [4]
Classification of riders consists of three broad groups; visual impairment, cerebral palsy and physical impairment. [2] These are subdivided into 14 functional categories for men and women. Riders are placed in the appropriate category according to their functional ability. [1]
B: blind (tandem) B1-2
C: cycle C1-5
H: handbike H1-5
T: tricycle T1-2
Cycling at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, consisted of 31 events in two disciplines, track cycling and road cycling. Track cycling took place at the Olympic Velodrome, and road cycling at Vouliagmeni.
Cycling has been contested at every Summer Paralympic Games since the 1984 Summer Paralympics. From an original program of seven road races, the sport is now contested on both road and track, and since 2012 the cycling program at the Paralympics is typically the third largest of any sport in the Games, behind athletics and swimming, and running at approximately 50 separate events.
The 2011 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships were the World Championships for track cycling where athletes with a physical disability competed in 2011. The Championships took place at the Montichiari Velodrome in Montichiari, Italy from 11 to 13 March 2011.
C3 is a para-cycling classification. The class includes people with moderate upper or lower limb dysfunctions and includes cyclists with cerebral palsy, limb impairments and amputations. The UCI recommends this be coded as MC3 or WC3. The class competes at the Paralympic Games.
C4 is a para-cycling classification. It includes people with lower limb impairments or issues with lower limb functionality. Disability groups covered by this classification include people with cerebral palsy, amputations and other lower limb impairments. The responsibility for this classification passed from the IPC to the UCI in September 2006.
H1 is a para-cycling classification. It includes people with a number of disability types including spinal cord injuries and cerebral palsy. Handcycles that can be used by people in races include the AP2 recumbent and AP3 recumbent. The classification competes at the Paralympic Games and has international rankings done by the UCI.
H4 is a para-cycling classification. The UCI recommends this be coded as MH4 or WH4.
T1 is a para-cycling classification. It is for athletes with severe locomotive dysfunctions, and insufficient balance to use a regular bicycle. The class includes a number of different disability types including cerebral palsy. The class only competes in road events and uses tricycles.
Tandem is a para-cycling classification for cyclists that require a sighted pilot for a non-sighted rider. The UCI recommends this be coded as MB. PBS defined this group as "Athletes who are blind or visually impaired compete with no classification system. They ride tandem with a sighted “pilot.”" The Telegraph defined this classification in 2011 as "B: Athletes who are blind and visually impaired" British Cycling defines this classification as: "Blind or Visual Impaired (VI), TCB - from no light perception in either eye up to visual acuity of 6/60 and/or visual field of less than 20 degrees. Classification assessed in the best eye with the best correction. Classification will be provided by a UCI accredited classifier"
T2 is a para-cycling classification. The class is for cyclists with more moderate loss of stability and function compared to T1. It includes people with a variety of different types of disabilities including cerebral palsy. This class uses tricycles and competes at the Paralympic Games in road events only and is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale.
LC4 is a para-cycling classification.
LC3 is a para-cycling classification for riders with a handicap in one lower limb who will usually pedal with one leg only.
LC2 is a para-cycling classification.
Para-cycling classification is the process of classifying participants in para-cycling covering four functional disability types. The classification system includes classes for handcycles for people who have lower limb mobility issues. The sport is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
Sophie Thornhill, is a visually impaired English former racing cyclist who competed in para-cycling tandem track events. She is a double world champion, with pilot Rachel James, and a double Commonwealth gold medallist, with pilot Helen Scott, in the tandem sprint and 1 km time trial events. In April 2014, she set world records in the tandem sprint and 1 km time trial, piloted by James. She retired from competition in 2020.
Cycling at the 2016 Summer Paralympics consisted of 50 events in two main disciplines, track cycling and road cycling. The venues were the Rio Olympic Velodrome for track cycling in the Barra Cluster, and the Flamengo Park for the road cycling disciplines in the Copacapana Cluster. Seventeen events were contested on the track, and 33 on the road.
Belgium competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016.
H5 is a para-cycling classification. The UCI recommends this be coded as MH5 or WH5.
Cycling at the 2020 Summer Paralympics took place in two separate locations. Track cycling took place at the Izu Velodrome from 25 to 28 August 2021 and road cycling took place on the Fuji Speedway from 31 August to 3 September 2021.
Néstor Javier Ayala Ayala is a Colombian paracyclist, who came third in the men's road race T1–2 event at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. He has also won medals at the 2013, 2015 and 2018 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, and multiple medals at the Parapan American Games.
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