Under the direction of CTS Premier Coaches Craig Griffin and Jim Lehman, the US Paralympic Cycling Team has become accustomed to winning medals. Between 2002 and the beginning of the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, China, the team earned more than 82 medals in international competitions.
Overall, the 2008 US Paralympic Cycling Team was represented by 21 athletes in Beijing, all of whom were coached by Carmichael Training Systems. CTS has been working with the team on all aspects of development, training and camps, team selection, and international competitions. During the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, the team pulled in nine medals total, and then set the goal of earning 10 medals in Beijing. In China the team exceeded their goals and won 14 total medals: five gold, five silver, and four bronze.
Track
1-Kilometer Time Trial
Because Karissa Whitsell (B&VI/Eugene, Ore.) and pilot Mackenzie Woodring (Grand Rapids, Mich.) had never competed at the international stage in track cycling together, the two could not be seeded and therefore were the first to race in the women’s 1 Km Time Trial. After they posted the time of 1:12.787, it was simply a waiting game and with the top three teams remaining, Whitsell and Woodring saw they were still in first place.
“I thought it was an advantage for them to go first,” said Team Coach Craig Griffin (Colorado Springs, Colo.) “Since it was Mackenzie’s first race it was best for them to get up and go rather than wait and get nervous.”
Australia’s tandem team of Lindy Hou and Toireasa Gallagher finished their race with a time of 1:12.463 to move the U.S. to second place. However, next came a Paralympic record with the Australian team of Felicity Johnson and Katie Parker, which was immediately smashed by Great Britain’s Aileen McGlynn and Ellen Hunter with a time of 1:09.066, also a new world record. Team USA had to settle for fourth place.
“We just met in April, raced our first road race in June and this is our first track race,” said Whitsell in talking about her new pilot Woodring. “I am blown away she is as competitive as she is. We are capable of riding faster and it is unbelievable how she has done.”
500-meter Time Trial In the Event Preview for the Women’s 500m Time Trial (LC1-2/CP 4), Jennifer Schuble’s (CP4/Homewood, Ala.) name wasn’t even mentioned as those to watch. But when the race was complete, Schuble was the one everyone was talking about. Schuble took the 2008 crown in a time which left her closest rival, YE Yaping (CHN) two seconds behind.
With a time of 40.278, Schuble not only won the Paralympic gold medal, she also set a new record in the CP4 class.
“It just feels awesome to finally win a medal for the U.S. in the velodrome,” said a thrilled Schuble, referring to the fact this was the first medal for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in track cycling. “I knew to get to the podium; I had to break the world record. I’m just enjoying this moment.”
Schuble has only been in the U.S. track cycling program for 18 months. At the World Championships last year, Schuble did not even medal in the event.
“I am very proud of her,” said Head Coach Craig Griffin (Colorado Springs, Colo.). “She was riding a 45 second 500m last year and now seeing where she is this year is a testament to how hard she has worked and the sacrifices she made. It hasn’t been an easy path but hard work pays off.”
Greta Neimanas (LC1/Colorado Springs, Colo.) also competed in the LC1-2/CP4 Women’s 500m Time Trial and with a time of 40.265 posted a personal best. In the LC3-4/CP3 Women’s 500m Time Trial Allison Jones (LC3/Denver, Colo.) posted a time of 46.397 and Barbara Buchan (CP3/Bend, Ore.) finished with a time of 49.156. Both times were personal bests for them as well.
“Every athlete had a personal best today,” commented Griffin. “As a coach that is all you can really ask for. I am really encouraged by today’s races.”
Individual Pursuit - Tandem
Karissa Whitsell (B&VI/Eugene, Ore.) holds the current World Record and Paralympic record in the Women’s Individual Pursuit (B&VI). But according to Whitsell, her bronze medal performance with new pilot Mackenzie Woodring (Pilot for Whitsell/Grand Rapids, Mich.), was almost as exciting as winning any gold medal in the past.
“I feel like winning the bronze was like winning the gold with all things considered,” said a jubilant Whitsell. “We still have our best events to come so we are really excited.”
In the qualification round of the event, Whitsell and Woodring posted a time of 3:42.237, five seconds faster than the fourth place finish and enough to get them into the bronze medal race.
“I was very pleased with our time,” commented Whitsell, referring to the qualification round. “I wasn’t sure what to expect considering this was our first pursuit, but I knew we had the potential.”
In the finals of the individual pursuit, Whitsell and Woodring did not disappoint and posted a time of 3:41.521 to secure the bronze medal and take their place on the podium stand.
“Being able to mix it up with the other competitors, knowing the caliber of those athletes was great,” added Woodring, relishing in her first opportunity to be on the Paralympic medal stand. “It went very well and we were definitely smooth together.”
“I agree with Karissa – the bronze today was like winning the gold because it was unexpected.” Head Coach Craig Griffin (Colorado Springs, Colo.) commented. “We have a lot of talent we haven’t even tapped into at this point.”
Individual Pursuit
In 1982 at the age of 26, Barbara Buchan (CP3/Bend, Ore.) took up cycling and progressed quickly, positioning herself on the short list of women competing for a place on the U.S. National Team. Her life then changed forever during a qualifying race for the World Championships when 21 out of the 80 competitors were caught in a bike pileup on a steep descent. Buchan was the most severely injured. No helmets were used at that time. She spent two months in a coma and had five brain surgeries but she was determined to get back into sport and began to compete in Paralympic track. The longest distance at that time however, was the 1500m and she enjoyed longer distances, so after the 1988 Paralympics she switched to cycling. This was her fifth Paralympic Games. She had never won gold – until now.
Buchan began the morning competing in the Qualifying round of the Women’s Individual Pursuit (LC3-4/CP3). She came out strong, so strong in fact she set a new world record in the CP3 class with a time of 4:31.334. Her factored time in the entire division was 4:13.860, enough for a first place finish heading into the finals.
Not to be outdone, Jennifer Schuble (CP4/Homewood, Ala.) set a world record of her own in the LC1-2/CP4 category of the Women’s Individual Pursuit. Her CP4 world record time was 4:01.243 and her factored time was 3:35.514, enough for a first place finish as well going into the finals.
In the finals, Buchan was set to compete against 30-year old Natalie Simanowski (GER). She did not disappoint and posted a final factored time of 4:15.848, four seconds faster than Simanowski. The gold was finally hers, after waiting so long.
“I can’t believe I did it,” said a jubilant Buchan. “My accident was so long ago but I am pleased I finally got my gold.”
Buchan then jokingly added “I’m doing all right for an old lady!” She went on to explain she believed so much of the competition is mental and that age should not be a factor.
Schuble competed right after and fell to 2nd place, despite racing the 2nd fastest race in her career in the event (3:36.637 factored). “Silver is still a great honor and I got a World Record in the CP4 category this morning,” commented Schuble. “It is awesome to be able to get two medals at the Paralympics and I am very satisfied with today’s performance.”
“Our goal for track cycling was three medals and we came away with four,” commented Head Coach Craig Griffin (Colorado Springs, Colo.). “I’m really proud of everyone.”
Road Cycling – Time Trials
The U.S. Paralympic cycling team had already gone above and beyond its expectations for the track portion of cycling so when Coach Craig Griffin (Colorado Springs, Colo.), projected four to five medals in the road time trials, he had no idea he was being very conservative.
“The whole team did a wonderful job,” said Griffin who joked it was best to under-promise and over-deliver. “I had a really good feeling the first day of practice on the course. We rode into the venue (when practicing) and they were rehearsing medal ceremonies and happened to be playing our National Anthem. It seemed like it was karma.”
Team USA hauled in seven total medals on the first day of road competition, bringing their total to 11. That number is already one more than they had hoped for and there are still two days left before cycling concludes. The team began with a gold medal in their first race, and concluded in the same fashion.
The HC C Men’s Time Trial was the first race of the day with a distance of 12.7km. Oz Sanchez (San Diego, Calif.) was the first to cross the finish line, winning the gold with a final posted time of 20:16.52. Sanchez finished 20 seconds before the 2nd place winner, but not far behind was Alejandro Albor (Elk Grove, Calif.) who posted a time of 20:59.49, good enough for the bronze.
In Sanchez’s first Paralympic Games he commented, “If I had to put my money on this race, I wouldn’t have, but nobody comes here to lose. I knew I had potential and I could maintain a pretty heavy tempo. I expected the podium but not the gold, it is very surreal.”
As the afternoon session got started heat began to play a factor. Team USA was very conservative in their warm-up and started out at a slow pace, which paid off with more U.S. medals.
“We knew how to ride in the heat,” commented Griffin. “At the first time check, we were usually behind, but then once the first hill was over we could really explode.”
Anthony Zahn (Riverside, Calif.) was the first cyclist to take a medal in the afternoon race in the LC 4 Men’s Time Trial. After competing in track cycling, Zahn had yet to score a medal. But he found success on the road and posted a final time of 41:08.21 and was awarded with the bronze.
“It felt pretty good. Track cycling is not my thing and it is really a warm-up for me,” said Zahn. “Today was my event and so it was really nice after focusing on it for so many years.”
The U.S. women then had their turn and they did not disappoint. First out was Jennifer Schuble (CP4/Homewood, Ala.) in the LC1/LC2/CP4 Women’s Time Trial. Already winning a gold and silver in track cycling, Schuble continued her success, winning silver. Schuble posted a factored time of 38:38.94. Greta Neimanas (LC1/Colorado Springs, Colo.) also competed and just missed the bronze medal with her time of 40:26.09.
The Women’s Time Trials continued, this time in the category of LC3/LC4/CP3. Fifty-two year old Barbara Buchan (LC1/Colorado Springs, Colo.) won her second gold in the Games. Not far behind was Allison Jones (LC3/Denver, Colo.) who, like Zahn, had gone through track cycling without a medal. This time was different and she won a silver with a time of 44:42.88.
“It was really hot but it was a great day,” said a very pleased Jones. “This race was my specialty so if it was going to happen it was going to happen here.”
The final time trial of the day was for the Women’s Blind and Visually Impaired. The tandem team of Karissa Whitsell (B/VI/Eugene, Ore.) and Mackenzie Woodring (Pilot for Whitsell/Grand Rapids, Mich.) finally found their gold after a fourth place finish and a bronze medal in the track cycling. Their posted time of 36:14.87 was 44.11 seconds faster than the second place team.
Woodring, who has been piloting for Whitsell for only five months, commented “We felt pretty confident going into the trials, but everything is so unknown because we have been together for such a short while.”
Whitsell agreed. “It was such an unknown. But we were confident and excited – the whole mixture of emotions. It was incredible and unreal that we won. We are not finished either – we race again on Sunday.”
Others racing in the day included Matthew Updike (HCB/Denver, Colo.) who posted a time of 24:39.59 in the HC B Time Trial, followed by David Lee (HCB/Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif.) with a time of 25:04.99. Michael Farrell (CP4/Colorado Springs, Colo.) raced in the CP4 Men’s Time Trial and finished with a time of 38:14.76. Ron Williams (LC2/Hoover, Ala.) competed in the LC 2 Men’s Time Trial and finished in fifth place with a time of 36:12.84.
Road Cycling – Road Races
The U.S. road cycling team ended on a high note in its final day of competition, earning two silvers and one bronze.
“Pleased would be an understatement,” said a very happy Head Coach Craig Griffin (Colorado Springs, Colo.) referring to the team’s overall performance. “You come here and you hope for the best but realistically, you think some things may go wrong. But, it all came together as we had hoped.”
Alejandro Albor (HCC/Elk Grove, Calif.) and Oz Sanchez (HCC/San Diego, Calif.) began the day for the U.S., competing in the Men’s HC C Individual Road Race. In the Time Trials on Friday, Sanchez won gold and Albor finished with a bronze and both were hoping for a medal once more.
In the fourth and final lap Albor, Sanchez, and Ernst Van Dyk (South Africa) were all even as they flew by, but it looked like Albor and Sanchez were taking the lead. Unable to see the final turn, the crowd patiently waited to see who emerged down the final sprint. Van Dyk managed to cross the finish line first with a time of 1:21:40, followed immediately by Albor (1:21:41) and Sanchez (1:21:41). “Overall it was a good race,” said a pleased Albor. “We [Van Dyk] bumped wheels at the final turn and I wasn’t able to recuperate. I felt like I was closing in, but ran out of room and that was that. But once again, it was a terrific race.”
The final race of the day for the U.S. featured the tandem team of Karissa Whitsell (B/VI/Eugene, Ore.) and Mackenzie Woodring (Pilot for Whitsell/Grand Rapids, Mich.). The pair had already snagged a bronze and gold medal for their efforts earlier in the week in the Track 3k Individual Pursuit (B&VI) and the Road Women’s Time Trial (B&VI), respectively.
By the third lap of the race, the Belarus team of Fiadotava and Drazdova had broken away, followed by the U.S. and the rest were behind in a pack. That was the way the race would remain and Whitsell and Woodring had to settle for the silver with a final time of 1:58:35.
“We just didn’t have the legs,” said Whitsell. “But, we are absolutely satisfied with the silver. We had an awesome time trial earlier in the week and that is what I am really excited about.”
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