September 7-18, 2016 Where: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The pressure is on for Great Britain’s para-cyclists in Rio for the 2016 Paralympic Games. Not only do they have to follow on from the sensational performance of GB’s Olympic riders but also the benchmark of London 2012, where GB finished top of the para-cycling medal table, looms large.
That haul of 22 medals in London 2012, eight of them gold, put them first in the medal table, well ahead of the USA, China and Australia. However, returning to Brazil is the woman who won four of them: Dame Sarah Storey, who could cement her place as the most decorated British Paralympian with another gold.
Rio comes 24 years after 37-year-old Storey’s first Games, when she competed in swimming in Barcelona. The team’s other elder statesperson is Jody Cundy, whose dream of gold in the C4/5 men’s kilo was smashed by an apparently faulty start gate and a disqualification. The veteran of five Games has described ‘gate-gate’ as “unfinished business”; Rio offers him the perfect chance to put those demons to bed and win his sixth Paralympic gold.
There are 14 para-cycling classifications based on functional disability.
The H category is for hand-cycles for athletes with lower limb impairment. B category is for blind or visually-impaired athletes, who compete on tandem bikes with sighted pilots.
C category is for amputees and the T category is for athletes with balance or mobility impairment and these riders compete on tricycles.
The numbers relate to the class in the category: the lower the number, the greater the degree of functional impairment.
14:00-14:45 Women’s individual pursuit qualifying, B
14:47-15:32 Mixed team sprint qualifying, C1-5
15:34-16:28 Men’s 1000m time trial final, B
16:30-16:45 Women’s individual pursuit qualifying, B
16:57-17:06 Mixed team sprint final, C1-5
Wednesday September 14
Session one
12:00-15:30
Men’s time trial, C2
Women’s time trial, C5
Women’s time trial, C4
Men’s time trial, C1
Women’s time trial, C1-3
Men’s time trial, H5
Men’s time trial, H4
Men’s time trial, H3
Women’s time trial, 4-5
Men’s time trial, H2
Women’s time trial, H2-3
Session two
17:30-20:00
Men’s time trial, B
Men’s time trial, C5
Men’s time trial, C4
Men’s time trial, C3
Women’s time trial, B
Men’s time trial, T1-2
Women’s time trial, T1-2
Thursday September 15
Session one
13:30-15:15
Men’s road race, H5
Men’s road race, H2
Session two
16:15-17:45 Women’s road race, H5
16:20-18:00 Women’s road race, H2-4
18:15-19:55 Men’s road race, H4
18:20-20:00 Men’s road race, H3
Friday September 16
Session one
13:30-15:30 Men’s road race, C1-3
Women’s road race, C1-3
Session two
17:00-18:10 Men’s road race, T1-2
17:05-18:25 Women’s road race, T1-2
19:00-19:45 Mixed team relay, H2-5
Saturday September 17
Session one
13:30-16:00 Men’s road race, C4-5
Rio 2016 Paralympic Games TV guide (UK)
Channel 4 will broadcast the Paralympics live on TV every day between 13:00-19:00 during the day and between 21:00-01:00 during the night, with a highlights package every evening between 19:30-20:00. Channel 4’s website will also provide comprehensive streaming coverage.
