The Irish women’s tandem of Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal have proven they are in the form of their lives ahead of the Paralympic Games by producing a time of 50’06” in a 25mile Time Trial in Woodgreen last Tuesday 9th August, a time over two minutes faster than the long standing existing record of 52’35”set by Gareth Crothers and Paul McMinn in 2006. The following day the Rio bound duo also completed a 10mile Time Trial at Warrenpoint in a time of 20’27”, which is within a respectable shout of the 19’04” national record set by international cyclists Tommy Evans and Roger Aiken in 2006. Both times recorded by Dunlevy and McCrystal were on courses that have been officially measured, with commissaires in place, so they are likely to be deemed new Paracycling national records, subject to ratification by the Board of Cycling Ireland.
This is good news for the female tandem, for the Irish Paracycling Squad and for the Irish Paralympic Team ahead of the Games which run from the 7th – 18th September. The team are currently training in Portugal and fly to the holding camp in Uberlandia on the 28th August before arriving in the Olympic and Paralympic Village on the 2nd September.
Performance Coach Neill Delahaye believes the Irish tandem are going into the Games in top form;
“Their record in the 25 mile is faster than the current tandem national record which was set by two men, and the 10 mile is the fastest time recorded by an Irish female tandem over this distance, it should be a Paracycling national record once ratified. The times are exceptional as conditions on both nights were not particularly fast with wet roads for the 25 and unfavourable wind for the 10. I am confident they are where they need to be at this stage pre-Games.”
In Rio the road events will take place from the 14-17 September, after the track, which runs from the 8-11 September. . At the Games there will be 6 Irish bikes competing; Dunlevy and McCrystal (W B Tandem), Damien Vereker and Sean Hahessy (M B Tandem), Eoghan Clifford (MC3), Colin Lynch (MC2), Declan Slevin (MH3) and Ciara Staunton (WH2). All bikes will be competing on the road in the Road Race and Time Trial, the tandems and Clifford and Lynch will also be competing on the track.