Will Groulx claimed the silver medal in the time trial on the first day of the Para-cycling road world championships in Maniago, Italy.
MANIAGO, Italy - On a rainy and windy opening day of the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Maniago, Italy, Team USA kicked off the event by securing two silver medals from six-time Paralympic medalist Will Groulx (Portland, Oregon) and Paralympic silver medalist Alicia Dana (Putney, Vermont) in the time trial.
Battling heavy rain, strong winds and a slippery course, Groulx repeated as the silver medalist in the MH2 time trial, completing the 13.6-kilometer route in 23:41.68. Dana took home the WH3 silver medal (24:03.85) as she competed in her first world championships since 2015, where she also placed second in the time trial.
Three additional athletes opened the event today for Team USA. Tom Davis (Fremont, Indiana) and Travis Gaertner (Burien, Washington) placed 11th and 12th in the MH4 class, while David Randall (Ontario, Ohio) finished in 18th in the MH3 event.
Competition continues tomorrow with the remaining classifications for the time trial, followed by the road race and team relay on Saturday and Sunday.
OVERALL MEDAL COUNT
Team USA: 2
Alicia Dana: silver (WH3 time trial)
Will Groulx: silver (MH2 time trial)
QUOTES
Will Groulx
On the conditions of the course today…
“It was gnarly. The conditions in the scope of two hours - from the start of the competition to when we finished - changed drastically. It was nothing like what we rode in all week when we were previewing, so you just had to go out there and fly by the seat of your pants.”
On what he learned from his teammates who raced earlier…
“To our advantage of going a little later, there were people who had already gone through. To our coaches’ credit, they came back and were pretty specific on what to watch out for, and even with the radios in our ears, that was great. They were letting us know when things were coming up that were a little sketchy.”
On his goal to win gold at world championships...
“It would mean everything. There are so many people that are supporting us throughout this entire thing. You want to be successful for yourself, but you want to be successful for them too, because that sacrifice happens from everyone.”
Alicia Dana
On what the course was like today…
“The road was a bit wet and a bit slick, but I had been warned about which turns to really look out for. I took it pretty cautiously, which I maybe lost more time than I needed to, but on the other hand I was safe. It was hot and super muggy.”
On preparing for the road race on Saturday…
“I’m hoping to be able to work with my teammate Will Groulx, who starts at the same time as me and hopefully gain some advantages by working together.”
LIVE STREAMING
A live stream of the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships can be found here.
RESULTS
Full results from the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships can be found here. Follow U.S. Paralympics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updated information during the event.
