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The Wild West Hand cycling Tour is only
six weeks away!
Perth, Western Australia:. The inaugural Wild West Hand
Cycling Tour is rapidly approaching.
From March the 15th to the 19th, Perth will see one of
the strongest fields of hand cyclists
ever assembled to tackle this very challenging event.
This event is the first race in the recently formed
World Handcycling Federation World Cup Tour. This will
be annual race series to determine who are the best hand
cyclists in their respective categories.
The idea of this event is to determine who is the best
all round hand cyclist. There are five stages to the
Tour. Each stage will challenge the athlete in differing
ways.
Stage 1: 15.2km Time Trial at Kings Park in the heart of
the city of Perth. This time Trial is tough! Athletes
are subjected to 4 x 3.8km laps, with a 1km climb in
each lap. The course is beautiful though, with scenic
views of the Swan River and the Perth Skyline.
Stage 2: 45-60km (depending on category) Road Race
around the Chittering Valley. One lap measures 15.2km.
Each lap consists of 600m, 1km, 1.2km and 300m climbs of
grades between 4% & 7.5%.
Stage 3: 3.8km Hill Climb Time Trial. This is probably
the stage that has the potential to blow the standings
apart! Athletes face a very tough challenge here
climbing the Brigadoon Hill which is at 7-9% for the
majority of the climb!
Stage 4: 24-36km Criterium at Barbagallo International
Raceway. Athletes ride between 10 & 15 laps of this
2.4km circuit. The Barbagallo circuit is not an easy one
for hand cyclists with two climbs per lap. These climbs
will have a major bearing on the tactics employed during
this stage.
Stage 5: 28km Freeway Bike Hike. A very unique race
opportunity for athletes. Hand Cyclists will be racing
from the start of this mass participation ride through
the city of Perth via the Polly Farmer Tunnel. Hand
Cyclists will ride through this Tunnel bypass (approx
1.5km length) under the City during the course of this
stage.
As stated, the field (56 hand cyclists) is very strong
for the Wild West Hand Cycling Tour.
The Gold, Silver and Bronze medalists from the 2004
Paralympic Games are racing as well as the best Europe
has to offer in all categories.
Prior to the Tour commencing, athletes will be taking
part in a training camp that is coordinated by
Wheelchair Sports Western Australia. In addition to
plenty of training in one of the best climates in the
World, athletes will receive the latest Sport Science
information from a number of Professionals who will be
presenting during the camp.
Subject matter varies from Sports Nutrition, Latest
training and testing protocols, Sports Psychology,
Physiotherapy, Equipment developments and Bike
Maintenance.
The Wild West Hand Cycling Tour wont be all pain and
suffering for the entrants. We are very fortunate to
have Novatel Vines as one of the main Sponsors of the
event. As a result, athletes will be staying at a 5 Star
resort in the Swan Valley on the outskirts of Perth.
This event is a must do on the World Cup circuit.
Question is - Are you tough enough?
To learn more about The 2006 Wild West Hand Cycling Tour
event in Perth, Western Australia, visit
www.handcycling.org.au or
www.wheelchairsportswa.org.au or
Andrew Budge on +61 8 9377 3554 or +61 421811938 or
Gary Lees on +61 8 9443 4833 or +61 417 093 495.
Hot off the press...here
is the latest on the Wild West Hand Cycling Tour
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