May 2, 2011 (Montreal, QC) – With the London Paralympic Games now only 16 months away Canadian Paracyclists are now focusing on accumulating the required UCI points to qualify Canada for the Games. Two elite paracylists looking to London are Karen March of Victoria, BC and Mark Ledo of Maple, Ontario. Both Karen and Mark are coached by Peter Lawless, Ch.P.C. of Victoria, BC

Both of these athletes are cross over athletes each having previously represented Canada at the Paralympic Games in the sport of Athletics. Mark raced the Marathon and 5000m events in Beijing 2008 and Karen was a sprinter in the 200m and 400m events in Athens 2004. Mark is the 2010 World Championships Bronze Medalist and races in the H3 class (for paraplegics). Karen races in the H1 class (for quadriplegics).

All three were in Montreal from April 25, 2011 to May 1, 2011 at a series of races hunting for those elusive UCI Points. UCI Points are only available at World Championships, World Cups and “P1″ events (Continental Cups). The first event was a P1 Road Race held in Blainville, Que on a Government of Canada test track. This 7km oval was a flat and fast test of pure power for these athletes. Athletes came from all over Canada and the United States and as far away as Columbia on their quest for London.

The day was a chilly and windy one which made the race even tougher. The first start was the men’s field with reigning Paralympic Champion Oscar Sanchez (H4 class) and Mark Ledo driving the pace. In a battle to the finish Sanchez was able to come around Ledo in the last 25m for the win. Both picked up the maximum amount of points (15) for their respective classes. The women’s race saw athletes of all classes H1-3 as well as the tricycle athletes take the start. With such a wide range of classes in the start it was inevitable that most did the 34.5km race on their own. March finished first packing 15 points into her “London luggage”.

The second event was the Time Trial at Defi Sportif in Montreal on April 29. Also classed as a P1 event this race took place at the Circuit Gilles-Villenueve F1 racing track. The TT is a timed event with athletes each starting at one minute intervals and no drafting allowed. The so called “Race of Truth” tests not just physical ability but also mental toughness as the winner is the athlete that can control their effort and keep pushing at (or over) their threshold the longest. The handcyclists did three laps of the 4.2km circuit with Ledo finishing in a blistering 20:19 for an average speed of 39.98km/h. March also tore up the course finishing in 37:42 for an average speed of 21.01km/h. Once again both picked up first place points.

Bright and early the next morning the third and final event a Road Race also took the athletes around the Circuit Gilles-Villenueve. The sun was out and the winds were calmer and it was clear that in the men’s race Ledo was hunting for a bit of revenge after being pipped at the line by Sanchez on Wednesday. After the gun it was 11 laps to go and the pack was almost immediately shattered by the relentless attacks of Sanchez and Ledo. With 8 laps to go it was Sanchez and Ledo well ahead of the chase. Along the back straight Ledo reported hitting speeds around 58km/h as Sanchez tried to shake him. With one lap to go the two pulled alongside each other bumped fists and wished each other good luck. It was now down to a bit of strategy and a lot of raw power. With 200m to go the athletes were side by side driving hard at first it looked like Sanchez with his incredible power was edging ahead but then a massive surge by Ledo took him clear ahead. Ledo took the victory by half a bike length with a big smile and a cheering crowd that knew they were seeing a special battle.

In the Women’s event March also pulled off a spectacular race where not only did she place first in her class grabbing those all important UCI points she went even faster in her last three laps than she did in the previous night’s TT. March was using a brand new special sip n’ puff shifting system assembled for her by the engineers at CanAssist at the University of Victoria. As a quadriplegic Karen doesn’t have the fine motor control needed in her hands and fingers to operate “normal” brakes and shifters so she tapped into the amazing resources at CanAssist (www.canassist.ca ) who came through with flying colours. When asked about the difference the system makes March said: “I also had pure confidence with my system of shifting and braking. My shifting system is truly miraculous”.

Both athletes are focused on not just going to London but stepping onto the Podium when they get there. As part of that quest they are each devoted to not just training the hardest and best they can but also to seeking out the best technology and assistance possible. In both cases these athletes know that they can’t achieve their podium goals without assistance and are taking steps to surround themselves with others that will also engage in the relentless pursuit of excellence.

Next up for Ledo is a World cup in Australia May 4-6 and then both March and Ledo head over to Spain for a second World Cup June 8-10. These are two athletes to watch as they take on the world.

Results

– For Blainville Results click here.
– For Defi ITT Results click here.
– For Defi RR Results click here.