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Australian hand cyclists did it tough at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as they lined up to contest the road race finals.
In the 79 kilometre H5 event, Stuart Tripp finished seventh and says whilst he gave it everything the circuit was not designed for him.
“There are horses for courses and I knew I wasn’t the horse for that course” said Tripp who didn’t let that stop him from attacking early in the six lap race. “I knew that that climb was my Achilles heel and I wasn’t going to get up quick enough and eventually that would just get longer and longer and harder and harder and so I had my crack when I had my opportunity.
“It didn’t work out but I had more fun today,” said Tripp who crossed 12 minutes behind the winner, Mitch Valize of the Netherlands who also won the H5 time trial. “Once you’re dropped by the bunch you’re not going to win, you’re not going to come second or third so you might as well enjoy it.”
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While Tripp’s race was completed in dry conditions the H4 race was hit by a wild change of weather that saw riders disappear into an ever thickening shroud of fog as rain and wind hit the Fuji Speedway circuit.
When Grant Allen started the six lap H4 race it had already cooled considerably from the morning conditions but at the halfway mark wet, slippery roads were making it difficult for the riders.
“Over the last three laps it was is pretty sketchy, especially on some of the corners and I was thinking, you’ve got to finish the race,” Allen explained. “I really didn’t want to put it into a gutter or into a wall or a fence or anything like that so I was pretty cautious, I guess,” Allen said.
While he had hoped to be ‘a little bit closer to the pointy end of things’ he admits it wasn’t his day today.
“I didn’t really feel as good as I would have liked but that’s bike racing,” said Allen who placed sixth. “You can’t pick the days when you’re on or not, you always want to be on but it just wasn’t really that much of an on day for me.”
Dutchman Jetze Plat claimed the H4 double adding the road race to his time trial gold medal. Allen finished the course 18 minutes after Plat had crossed the line.
Six Australians will be in action in road races on Thursday (2 September) as Emily Petricola, Darren Hicks, Meg Lemon, David Nicholas and Carol Cooke look to continue their medal success at these Games while Stuart Jones will make his Games road race debut. Conditions are expected to again be challenging with rain predicted.
Watch the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games live and free on Seven and 7plus from August 24 – September 5.
Thursday 2 September
Schedule of starting times for Australian cyclists
09:30-11:55 JST (10:30-12:55AEST) 79km women’s road race C4-5 – Emily Petricola and Meg Lemon
09:48-11:48 JST (10:48-12:48AEST) 79km men’s road race C1-3 – Darren Hicks and David Nicholas
13:00-13:48 JST (14:00 – 14:48 AEST) 26km men’s road race T1-2 Stuart Jones
13:05-13:57 JST (14:05 – 14:57 AEST) 26km women’s road race T1-2 Carol Cooke
By: Gennie Sheer, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 1 September 2021
