USA take lead after Road World Cup in Yverdon-les-Bains

Next stop for the World Cup will be 24-26 July in Elzach, Germany.

Team USA continued its winning ways on Tuesday (16 June), as the second stage of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup wrapped up in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland.

The US team added two medals to its haul – for a total of 17 medals – enabling it to take the lead in the medal rankings. After two rounds of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup, their medal count comprises nine golds. Germany sits in second place with the same number of medals but only seven golds.

The USA’s Shawn Morelli put her country’s team in an advantageous position, winning the C4 road race. The reigning world champion crossed the line first after 43.59km and bettered her closest rival – and teammate – by a full six minutes. Megan Fisher took silver to deliver a one-two punch for USA. Australia’s Hannah MacDougall finished in third place with a 6:20 lag on Morelli.

Morelli finished at the top of rankings last season and is proving difficult to shake from a potential repeat this season. Unbeaten in two events in Maniago, Italy, last weekend, she again claimed gold in both the time trial and road race in Yverdon-les-Bains.

Poland’s Anna Harkowska also earned a fourth consecutive victory Tuesday, as the fastest in the C5 road race. Germany’s Kerstin Brachtendorf crossed the line nine seconds behind for second, while third went to Canada’s Nicole Clermont.

In men’s racing, Slovakia’s Jozef Metelka (C4) also saw his medal collection grow; he now has a total of four golds from the first two rounds of the World Cup. At the end of Tuesday’s 58.12km course, he won a sprint finish against Russia’s Sergey Pudov and Colombia’s Diego German Duenas Gomez.

After a third place in the C1 road race in Maniago, Germany’s Michael Teuber was first across the line in Yverdon-les-Bains. At the top of athlete medal standings, Teuber – who won the time trials at both World Cup rounds – defeated Spain’s Juan Jose Mendez by 42 seconds. Teuber’s teammate Erich Winkler took third.

In tandem racing, the Netherlands’ Vincent Ter Schure and pilot Timo Fransen grabbed their third win of the young season. In a sprint final after the 87.18km race, the duo beat Spain’s Carlos Gonzalez Garcia and Noel Martin Infante, as well as Poland’s Marcin Polak and Michal Ladosz, who settled for silver and bronze, respectively.

In women’s tandem racing, Team Poland’s Iwona Podkoscielna and Aleksandra Wnuczek grabbed the gold. The Netherlands’ Odette Van Deudekom and Kim Van Dijk took silver, while Spain’s Josefa Benitez Guzman and Judit Masdeu Cort finished third.

Racing came to an end in Yverdon-les-Bains with the mixed handcycling relay. The Italian trio of Paolo Cecchetto, Francesca Porcellato, and Vittorio Podesta took top honours, while Team USA took silver, and Belgium came in for third place.

For complete results of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Yverdon-les-Bains, visit the UCI’s website.

Next stop for the World Cup will be 24-26 July in Elzach, Germany.