Second Bronze For Eltje Completes Italian Para Cycling World Cup

The New Zealand Para Cycling Team have completed the Maniago Road Para Cycling World Cup with two bronze medals, both claimed by Eltje Malzbender. Fortunes were mixed for the remaining team members.

Paralympian #220 Eltje Malzbender (T1) had a rewarding World Cup, taking bronze in the Road Race as well as her day 1 bronze medal in the Time Trial. Trike-rider Eltje completed the Road Race in 1:06:17.

Meanwhile the C-class riders had a few hurdles thrown their way.

Paralympian #222 Nicole Murray (C5) battled slipping gears in the Time Trial, nonetheless finishing an impressive 5th place in 43:17.48. She had better luck in her Road Race, working with other riders to liven the race up and finishing 4th in the bunch sprint by half a wheel.

The Time Trial went well for Paralympian #213 Sarah Ellington (C2), who gave a solid performance to finish 5th. Sarah also rode strongly in the Road Race but missed the winning break which saw three C2 riders slip away. She continued to ride strongly to finish 7th in the final kick to the line.

It was the first Road World Cup outing since 2019 for Paralympian #225 Anna Taylor (C4). She had a good start in the Time Trial, finishing 9th. In the Road Race Anna missed the lead bunch in the first lap to be left riding solo for the next 60km. She persevered, toughing it out to get through the race and finish with valuable points.

Independent New Zealand Para cyclist Liz Gasson (C3) competed in the Time Trial, finishing 8th.

Para Cycling Team Coach Damian Wiseman said:

“We saw solid performances from all the team, and the results don’t necessarily indicate how impressive the performances were. Awesome to see Eltje Malzbender on the podium in both her races – she put in fantastic work. It’s a strong start to the Road season for Anna Taylor. Nicole Murray’s result in the Time Trial is really encouraging given she spent three-quarters of the race with a mechanical. Sarah Ellington gave strong performances and I think we will continue to successfully build on these performances through the next two World Cups.”

The Para cyclists will next compete in Ostend, Belgium, which hosts round two of the Para Cycling Road World Cup (4-7 May). The third and final round is in the USA, in Huntsville, Alabama (26-29 May).

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