The world’s fastest para-cyclists battled for three time trial gold medals on day three of the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. Taking two of the wins, the Dutch showed why they topped the para-cycling road medal table at the recent Paralympics in Paris, France.
Unlike the first two sunny days of competition, the riders were greeted by cloud and then rain on the 29.9km course. But it didn’t dampen the spirits of Tristan Bangma and pilot Patrick Bos, whose performance left onlookers questioning whether they’re unbeatable. The Dutch duo continued their winning run by dominating the course and the competition, taking the victory in a superb 37’36”91. The French tandem of Alexandre Lloveras and pilot Yoann Paillot finished second with the Spanish tandem of Imanol Arriortua Zorrilla and Francisco García Rus in third.
“We’re delighted to retain our time trial title,” said Bangma. “It was amazing to race the same course as [the able-bodied] Elites did yesterday.”
“Winning the UCI World Championships is great as you can wear the rainbow jersey all year,” Bos added. “You feel the pressure when you’re the defending Champion so it was amazing to win.”
On the deteriorating weather conditions, Bos said: “It started to rain on the steep downhill. With 5km to go I lost the visor on my helmet. It wasn’t very aerodynamic but I tried to make it work!”
Bangma and Bos were fresh from winning three gold medals at the recent Paralympics: one on the track (individual pursuit) and two on the road (road race and time trial). Bangma also won Paralympic gold at the Rio 206 and Tokyo 2020 Games.
In Paris, they looked dominant. It was the same in Zurich where the Dutch riders recorded the fastest time at each checkpoint, negotiating the urban and rural course powerfully and proficiently. And they had to as Lloveras and Paillot put down a fine time of 38’17”25. The French tandem was behind Arriortua Zorrilla and García Rus at the first two checkpoints but flew over the final section.
But the day was for Bangma and Bos, who claimed their third successive time trial rainbow jerseys after victories in Baie-Comeau, Canada (2022), and Glasgow, Scotland (2023).
Another Dutch winner of the day was Daniel Abraham Gebru, who claimed victory in the men’s C5 ITT in a tightly fought contest. The 39-year-old’s 40’35”90 edged out Brazil’s Lauro Chaman (40’40”33). Ukraine's Yegor Dementyev took the bronze, weeks after winning Paralympic gold in the men’s C4-C5 road race.
“It feels amazing to win,” Abraham Gebru said. “It’s a lovely course and amazing organisation.”
The Dutchman, obviously recovered from a crash in the Paris 2024 Paralympic road race, had to dig deep: his lead of more than 14 seconds over Chaman at intermediate two, shrunk to just over 4 seconds by the finish line. But it was enough for victory.
Abraham Gebru now has six C5 ITT rainbow jerseys to his name since 2017, and two ITT Paralympic titles (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024).
The French dominated the men’s C4 ITT as Mattis Lebeau surprised by leading from start to finish. Fellow French rider Kévin le Cunff won silver with countryman Gatien le Rousseau in third to complete a French one-two-three.
Twenty-five-year-old Lebeau was first off and put down a marker of 40’49”60. It looked like a strong time, but was it enough to hold of the defending UCI World Champion le Cunff, who also won the men’s C4-C5 time trial at the Paralympics? Ultimately yes. Rider after rider couldn’t match Lebeau, and although le Cunff was closest, he was still nearly 15 seconds down.
Para-cycling sport classes
C – Cycle: conventional bike with adaptations if necessary
T – Tricycle: three-wheeled bike
B – Tandem: for visually impaired athletes with sighted pilot
H – Handcycle
Groups C (1-5), T (1-2) and H (1-5) are divided into different sport classes, with the lower the number indicating a higher level of impairment.