Disability Sport Wales
Chwaraeon Anabledd Cymru

How the Grand Prix of Wales is Blazing a Global Trail

Neil Smith had an idea three years ago to entice the world’s best Paralympic cyclist to Wales while they were in the UK.

Now, three years before the 2012 Paralympics take place in London, his Disability Grand Prix of Wales has become one of the best events on the UK calendar for riders.

It achieved the UCI-recognised (Union Cyclist Internationale) status this year which means the biggest names in the sport will be arriving at the Wales National Velodrome in the next three track season in the build-up to the London extravaganza.

This year’s Grand Prix, staged just recently, was lower key than previous meetings simply, said Smith, due to the after effects of the Beijing Paralympics where Britain swept the board on the track.

Even so, sprint ace Jody Cundy, who grabbed gold in Beijing, came pretty near clocking a new world best over the 4,000 metres Individual Pursuit, while one of the able-bodied stars of recent years, Sydney silver medalist Craig Maclean, rode as a tandem ‘pilot’ in the sprints with his Scottish countryman Neil Fauche.

And the Grand Prix saw Cardiff’s Beijing Paralympic middle-distance athlete Tracey Hinton ride a tandem for the first time in the women’s 3,000m pursuit as she attempts to swap sports, with friend Bex Rimmington as her guide on the front.

Smith, who was the Sports Council for Wales’ Coach to the Disabled winner in 2006, said the Grand Prix can only get better.

“In 2009, we are one of only three events in the UK which are sanctioned by the UCI,” he said. “There are ourselves, the Paralympic World Cup, which were in Manchester, and the World Championships, which will be in Manchester again now that Seville (Spain) is not going to be participating as a venue.

“So when you think that the numbers will grow next year and 2011 when nations come here to collect UCI ranking points, who knows? We saw 50 (competitors) this year, we could see 100 next year and even more the following year.

“I think we need to ensure that people with influence in Wales can wrap around us and provide us with support to the next stage again over the next two years.”

This is not small scale stuff either! Riders came from as far as America, Holland and even a lone rider who flew all the way over from Brazil.

Smith, who also coaches with Newport Velo, added: “They are not just from this country. We had the Canadian rider who took silver in the Beijing road race so there is a lot of quality field riders who were here.

“It is a great spectacle for Wales to have this on our own doorstep for our own athletes to come and be inspired.”

Teams are already lining-up to use Wales’ international sports facilities in preparation for both the Olympics and Paralympics and, as one of only two major velodromes in the country – the other is the Manchester Commonwealth Games venue at SportsCity – cycling squads who do not book early are likely to find space limited to acclimatise themselves before the big event.

And that will mean more teams looking at the Grand Prix of Wales as a perfect platform to test British conditions pre-Paralympics.

Smith said: “It is year four at the moment and the number of hits that the GP of Wales website has every month is that, globally, there is a lot of interest in what we are doing and it is a great showcase.

“There are also a lot of youngsters on show in the event for the (national) Academy and that is what it is all about. I want to see post-London to 2016 and the talent we have seen in the GP of Wales and who are 14, 15 and 16 years of age will become future Paralympians.”

Commenting is closed for this article.