Multiple Medals for Para Riders at UCI World Cup
Last week saw Irish riders get their 2026 UCI Para-cycling World Cup seasons underway in Gistel, Belgium.
A combined team of development riders and more athletes with more experience at the international level made the trip.
Racing got underway Tuesday, April 28th and saw the first riders take on the Individual Time Trial. Development rider Steven McGowan took his handbike to 15th place in a very strong MH3 field, while Allister McSorley took sixth in the MH4 category.
Among the more established cohort were reigning double World Champions Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly. The tandem pair took victory by over three seconds in the Time Trial on Wednesday, April 29th while Development Squad rider Sinead Greenan, piloted by Alice Sharpe, took third in a huge performance on their World Cup debut.
Paris 2024 Paralympian pairing Damien Vereker and Mitchell McLaughlin finished ninth in their Time Trial. Development rider Ciaran O’Toole, piloted by Con Scully, finished 12th.
Fellow Development rider Cormac O’Callaghan also claimed 12th in the MC1 category, while Heather Jameson narrowly missed out on a podium spot, coming home in fourth place h in the WC2 category. Paris Paralympian in Richael Timothy finished eighth in her WC3 event.
Road racing began on Thursday, with Irish focus on the handcycles. Steve McGowan again battled a large field with some serious talent to finish 12th in the MH3 race, while Allister McSorley was sixth in a tough MH4 race.
Friday, May 1st kicked off with both the Women’s and Men’s tandem road races. The WB race saw Dunlevy and Kelly put in another solid performance finishing tenth, while another standout performance from Greenan and Sharpe bagged the Development pair their second bronze medal of the week.
Vereker and McLaughlin had an unfortunate DNF in the MB race, but again the Development pairing of O’Toole and Scully pulled out a solid performance and finishing tenth. Cormac O’Callaghan was 12th in the MC1 road race. Richael Timothy finished sixth in the WC3 category, while Heather Jameson again narrowly missed out on a podium, claiming fourth in the WC2 race.
Allister McSorley rounded out the week’s racing as he joined Norwegian Christian Gyldenohr and Brazilian Moreira Ferreira in the Team Relay, where they took the runner-up spot.
All eyes now turn to the next UCI Paracycling World Cup, taking place this week in Abruzzo, Italy from May 7th to 10th.
The team selection remains largely the same, with a combination of Development riders and established elites, with Richard Barry coming in to replace Con Scully piloting Ciaran O’Toole.
The Development riders then head to the Hetman Stage Race in Poland the following week, with Conor Coleman piloting Ciaran O’Toole, Richard Barry piloting Ben Cussen and Claire Ní Reachtagain piloting Sinead Greenan. Heather Jameson and Cormac O’Callaghan will race solo bikes in Poland, with Allister McSorley racing in the MH4 category.