34 road cycling events will take place during the Paralympic Games, with good chances for French medals.
Road cycling includes a large number of events at the Paralympic Games. In total, 34 races will be held around Clichy-sous-Bois. Four types of bikes are used: the single bike with adjustments according to disability, the handbike, the tricycle and the tandem.
The standard bikes used in the solo categories can be adapted according to the needs of each athlete, for example with the position of the brakes or gear changes. They are reserved for athletes who are amputees or have functional loss of certain limbs.
Distances are also different on the road depending on the type of bike used. In the road race, the distance can vary according to the categories between 78 and 125 km for tandems, between 37 and 80 km for handbikes, between 48 and 100 km for the cycle class and between 26 and 40 km for tricycles. For the time trial, the distance varies between 10 and 40 kilometers.
The French cycling delegation is usually a major provider of medals for the French team, with three road gold medals in 2021 and 11 medals in total. This should once again be the case in Paris with a large delegation qualified.
Classifications for road cycling
There are four different categories in road cycling, each with different grades. The lower the number, the greater the handicap.
- H1 to H5 : “H” for handbike
- T1 and T2 : “T” for tricycle. If the two categories are distinguished in time trials, they are grouped together for the road events.
- C1 to C5 : They bring together cyclists who can ride alone on a bike that looks like a traditional bike.
- VI or B : “VI” for Visually Impaired or visually impaired, B for “Blind”. These races are contested on a tandem with a guide at the front. If the athlete is a woman, she can only be guided by a woman, the same system applies to men.
The cycling program
The road cycling events will take place from September 4 to 7 around Clichy-sous-Bois.
Wednesday September 4th
- CLM individual C5 – women
- CLM individual C4 – women
- CLM individual C2 – men
- CLM individual C1 – men
- CLM individual C1-3 – women
- Individual CLM H4-5 – women
- Individual CLM H2 – men
- Individual CLM H1 – men
- Individual CLM H1-3 – women
- Individual CLM T1-2 – men
- Individual CLM T1-2 – women
- Individual CLM B – men
- CLM individual C5 – men
- CLM individual C4 – men
- CLM individual C3 – men
- Individual CLM B – women
- Individual CLM H5 – men
- Individual CLM H4 – men
- Individual CLM H3 – men
Thursday September 5th
- Road Race H1-2 – Men
- H1-4 Road Race – Women
- H5 Road Race – Men
- H5 Road Race – Women
- H4 Road Race – Men
- H3 Road Race – Men
Friday September 6th
- C4-5 Road Race – Men
- C4-5 Road Race – Women
- Road Race B – Men
- Road Race B – Women
Saturday September 7th
- Road Race C1-3 – Women
- Road Race C1-3 – Men
- Road Race T1-2 – Men
- Road Race T1-2 – Women
- Team relay H1-5 – mixed