Paralympic Cycling - Track

 
 
 
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Paralympic Cycling Track

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Paralympic Cycling Track
Paralympic Cycling Track
Paralympic Cycling Track
Paralympic Cycling Track
 

 

Head to the new state-of-the-art Velodrome in the Olympic Park, the scene of much iconic British triumph during the Olympic Games, for all the Paralympic Track Cycling action. 

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What is Paralympic Track Cycling?

 

Held at the new state-of-the-art Velodrome in the Olympic Park, the London 2012 Paralympic Track Cycling programme features 18 medal events (10 for men, seven for women, one mixed) for athletes with a visual impairment, cerebral palsy, amputations or other physical disabilities. The competition sees cyclists compete in a number of individual and team races called time trials, individual pursuits and sprints. These are either raced against the clock for the fastest time or in a head-to-head race to the finish line. 

 
 
 

Who won Paralympic track cycling gold in Beijing in 2008?

 

Great Britain dominated the time trial event, winning five gold medals out of six different classifications. Darren Kenny and Simon Richardson were able to add second gold medals to their personal tallies for the Games with wins in their respective Individual Pursuit classes – Australia claimed the spoils over all in this discipline, with three gold medals to Great Britain’s two. And in the sprint it was another British clean sweep with Antony Kappes and Barney Storey taking gold in the B&VI 1-3 and Darren Kenny, Mark Birstow and Jody Cundy racing to gold in the team sprint. In the women’s events, Great Britain were just as successful picking up three gold medals out of a possible six. 

 
 
 

Do ParalympicsGB have a chance of winning any Track Cycling medals?

 

Much like in the Olympic Games, Great Britain are the team to beat when it comes to track cycling. They picked up 17 gold medals in Beijing, over three times as many as nearest challengers the USA. For 2012, the track cycling team will be strengthened by Jon-Allan Butterworth, an ex-RAF technician who was identified when Battle Back brought him to a ParalympicsGB Talent Day. The British squad also benefits from an abundance of talented and gold medal winning riders such as Jody Cundy, Anthony Kappes and Aileen McGlynn, all of whom have multiple Paralympic and World titles to their names. Neil Fachie, who competed in athletics in Beijing before switching to cycling, partners with Craig Maclean, who represented Great Britain in cycling at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. At the Para-Cycling Track World Championships in February 2012, the British team again topped the medal table, winning 17 medals in total.

 
 
 

Where is the Paralympic Track Cycling?

 

The Paralympic Track Cycling takes place at the same place where Britain's Olympians performed so many heroic deeds at the Olympic Games earlier in August - the Velodrome in the Olympic Park. The London 2012 Paralympic Track Cycling programme features 18 medal events (10 for men, seven for women, one mixed). If you're coming to the Games and are in need of a great hotel, check out the LondonTown.com hotel deals service. Or if you want to get a better idea of where all the venues are, check out our map of the London Paralympics.

 
 
 

When is the Paralympic Track Cycling?

 

The Track Cycling programme takes place on four days at the start of the Games, from Thursday 30th August to Sunday 2nd September. There are medal events taking place on every day. See our Paralympics Day-by-Day Guide for the full schedule of events.

 
 
 
 

How do I get to the Paralympic track cycling in the Velodrome?

 

The Velodrome is located inside the Olympic Park. There are numerous options when travelling to the Olympic Park. Driving is not advised due to high levels of traffic and restricted parking - limited, pre-booked parking will be available for disabled spectators. There are various public transport options. Delivering passengers from St Pancras to Stratford International in just seven minutes, the Olympic Javelin high-speed train shuttle service will take up to an estimated 25,000 travellers per hour. National Rail, Docklands Light Railway and London Overground will run trains to Stratford, Stratford International and West Ham. There are two London Underground stations that service the Olympic Park - Stratford and West Ham.

 
 
 

How do I get tickets to the Paralympic Track Cycling?

 

Tickets can be purchased from www.tickets.london2012.com. More than 2.1 million of the 2.5 million available tickets have already been sold - organisers are claiming this could be the first Paralympics to sell out in the 52 year history of the Games. Twitter users could start following @2012TicketAlert, an unofficial feed set up during the Olympics which runs a check on the official site every three minutes and tweets every time a ticket becomes available.

 
 
 

What are the disability divisions for Paralympic Track Cycling?

 

The classifications for cycling have changed since the Beijing Games. The new classifications are more straightforward: B indicates a cyclist who is blind or has a visual impairment riding a tandem; H indicates a handcyclist; T indicates a tricyclist; and C indicates a cyclist riding a bicycle. Road cyclists compete on handbicycles, tricycles, tandem bicycles or bicycles according to their functionality and, on the track, cyclists ride either tandem bicycles or bicycles.

Handcycle events are for athletes who are amputees, have paraplegia or tetraplegia. They are classified as an H1-4, with H1 being the most severely impaired. H1, H2 and H3 cyclists will all compete in a lying position, whereas H4 cyclists race in a kneeling position. Tricycle events are for those with a neurological condition or impairment which has an effect on their cycling so that they are not able to compete on a standard bicycle.

There are two classifications of tricycle - T1 and T2. T1 is for the more severely impaired athletes. Athletes who have visual impairments ride tandem bicycles with a guide. Cyclists who can ride a bicycle will compete in classes C1-5, with C1 being the most severely impaired. C5 athletes are usually single arm amputees or have a neurological impairment with minimum effect.

 
 
 

When did track cycling first appear at the Paralympics?

 

New York 1984 was the first Paralympics where cycling appeared but track cycling didn’t make its Paralympics debut until 1996 at the Atlanta Games. Australia topped the medal table in every year until Great Britain arrived on the world stage a major force in 2008 and dominated the gold medal table.   

 
 
 

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