March 8, 2007 РLouis Barbeau, the Director General of the F̩d̩ration Qu̩b̩coise des Sports Cyclistes (FQSC), the association that governs cycling in Quebec, was recently named president of the new Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Para-cycling Commission. Previously, para-cycling came under the umbrella of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Congratulations on being named president of this commission.
Louis Barbeau: Thanks. As you know, Pat McQuaid (UCI president) and Sir Philip Craven (IPC president) signed an agreement for the transfer of governance of cycling for persons with a disability from IPC to UCI. The signing ceremony took place at UCI headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland on Feb. 7, 2007. Hein Verbruggen (the former UCI president) was also present at the signing in recognition of his past efforts to integrate para-cycling into the UCI.

Just how big is para-cycling?
LB: Some 360 athletes from 40 countries participated at the Para-cycling World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland in 2006. By comparison, the 2006 UCI Road Championships saw 58 nations participate, while 37 nations participated in the UCI Mountain Biking Championships, and 33 in BMX. So para-cycling is already as widely practised “” in terms of number of nations participating “” as some other disciplines within the UCI.

What does para-cycling include?
LB: Para-cycling includes the following:

– Blind and visually impaired (B and VI)
Blind and visually impaired athletes ride on tandems, accompanied by sighted pilots.
– Cerebral Palsy (CP)
Athletes with cerebral palsy ride on bicycles or tricycles based on their
disability.
– Locomotor Disabilities (LC)
Amputees and other individuals with an apparent functional disability ride on bicycles with approved adaptations if necessary.
– Handcycling (HC)
Wheelchair athletes ride on hand tricycles.

The complete version of the para-cycling rules can be found in chapter 16 of the UCI rules. Para-cycling events involve separate events for men and women, and there are no longer any events for mixed tandem.

Why should para-cycling fall under the UCI’s umbrella?
LB: Within two years, para-cycling will be integrated into the national cycling federations of UCI member nations. This has effectively already been done in Australia “” a world leader “” and in Canada. As such, para-cyclists will benefit from all of the development, rankings and calendar preparation. Para-cyclists will soon require a valid UCI licence to compete in cycling events.

What is the history of para-cycling?
LB: The first commissaire for para-cycling was Barry Broadbent (UK) in 1996. Canada’s Louise Lalonde was the first woman to be a chief commissaire in para-cycling at the Paralympic Games in 2004. Spain, Holland and France are, with Canada, the first nations that had an international commissaire trained for para-cycling in 2003. At the 2006 IPC Cycling World Championships in Aigle, commissaires from Slovenia, China, Germany and the USA were also trained for the job.

In 2002, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the IPC and the UCI that essentially involved the two organizations working toward the UCI taking charge of para-cycling. As such, the 2006 IPC Cycling Worlds (road and track) in Aigle, Switzerland were organized by the UCI. At the sports forum during this successful event, the IPC voted almost unanimously to transfer para-cycling to the UCI.

How do para-cyclists times compare with able-bodied cyclists?
LB: The time differences are “melting away” between top para-cyclists and top able-bodied riders. The gap used to be huge, but it’s coming down.

Look mainly at times from the LC1 and LC2 classes in the men’s individual pursuit. You can then look at the times achieved in the UCI Track World Cups to see that the fastest riders in the LC1 and 2 men’s classes are not that far from some [able-bodied] athletes competing on the World Cup circuit.

For instance, for the 4km standing start, the able-bodied world record is 4:11.114, while the best para-cycling time is now 4:40.378 as recently established by Michael Gallagher (AUS) with an LC1 handicap, and beating the para-cycling record of 4:43.555 established in 2006 by Roberto Aalcaide (ESP).

Some para-cyclists are born with their conditions, others suffer accidents. One of our best para-cyclists is Spaniard Javier Ochoa, who, as an able-bodied cyclist, won a stage of the Tour de France in 2001 before an accident later that year. This guy is best in his class, but not dominant.

We’ve come a long way since 1994. A gold medalist in para-cycling from 1994 improved by 1996, but could only snatch a bronze then because the competition has increased a lot “” and there’s no comparison between 1996 and now. Most world records were shattered in Sydney in 2000. They were shattered again in Germany. More still were shattered in Athens in 2004. Some 17 world records were broken in Aigle in 2006. We’re coming close to where a world record will not be broken at every event now. There are some astonishing times in para-cycling now. There are similar situations in other sports, and some of the best handicapped athletes could make their national teams.

Look at Brian McKeever, the visually impaired cross-country skier who recently qualified for the Canadian team going to Sapporo, Japan. Some of these performances are pretty amazing!

Who is on the Para-cycling Commission and how were you selected for the job?
LB: I had a very good relation [with] UCI and I expressed interest in the position. The UCI had previous experience with people who only spoke one language doing a similar job, so my bilingualism was an asset. I will be the technical delegate for Paralympics in Beijing in 2008 and the technical delegate to Bordeaux in 2007. The UCI is also conscientious about providing representation from different geographic regions. At present, only Mark Fulcher (AUS) and I are from outside of Europe.

For more information, visit www.uci.ch
www.handbiken.at/Downloads/PARACYCL-ENG.pdf.
www.paralympic.org/release/Summer_Sports/Cycling/About_the_sport/Classification/.

This interview appears in Pedal Annual Buyer’s Guide 2007 which is now available across Canada.