Monica Bascio shows off her second silver medal

Today’s races were held on roads at the Brands Hatch motor racetrack and through some of the rolling countryside in southeast England in the District of Sevenoaks in Kent.

The American teammates dominated the 48-kilometer Women’s H 1-3 Road Race. Winning her second gold medal in as many races at the Paralympic Games, Davis won in a time of one hour, 41.34 minutes.  Bascio finished only 33 seconds back.  The bronze went to Rachel Morris of Great Britian (1:43:08). A field of 15 competitors included three Americans. Alicia Dana of Putney, VT, started the Women’s H1-3 Road Race but did not finish.

“We had a plan and it played out to perfection. Muffy is riding strongest right now, and she rode a great final lap (in the road race). We are thrilled with the way the race played out…the way that Team USA dominated the road race, and I couldn’t be happier with my second
silver medal,” said Bascio

Oscar “Oz” Sanchez, San Diego, Calif.,stayed with the lead pack throughout the eight-lap race of the Men’s H4 Road Race, but fell short in the final sprint from defending the bronze medal he won at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.  Today he finished fifth overall in the 64-kilometer road race, just three seconds behind Italian Alessandro Zanardi.  On Wednesday, the former U.S. Marine won a bronze in the
Men’s H4 Individual Time Trial. Zanardi won the gold in both H4 events this year, capturing the victory in the Road Race today in two hours, 32 seconds.

In the 56-kilometer Men’s H2 Road Race, 40-year-old Matt Updike, from Denver, Colo., finished ninth, a little more than seven minutes behind winner. In 2008 at the Beijing Paralympic Games, he finished 10^th in the same event.

In the 48-kilometer Men’s H1 Road Race, 41-year-old Anthony Pedeferri from Camarillo, Calif., finished fifth in his first Paralympic Games road race. The former California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer finished six and a half minutes off the winning pace of Mark Rohan of Austria.

This is the first Paralymic Games in handcycling for both Bascio and Davis. Both are accomplished skiers who participated in past Paralympic Winter Games, Bascio in cross-country sit skiing and Davis in alpine skiing (she won two medals).  Bascio won the silver medal on Wednesday in the Women’s H3 Individual Time Trial and Davis captured the gold medal in the women’s H1-2 Individual Time Trial.  The 39-year-old Davis continues her winning streak for 2012, having won every race she has entered this year, including two Paralympic gold medals.

There are a total of 28 para-cycling road events at the Paralympics this year, with six para-cycling road races contested today at Brands Hatch. The final four events for para-cycling will be held on Saturday, with the Mixed H 1-4 Team Relay, Mixed T 1-2 Road Race, and men’s and women’s road races for athletes with a visual impairment (individuals compete on a tandem with a sighted pilot on the front).

Monica Bascio in the TT start house

The 16-kilometer Individual Time Trial (ITT) events kicked off four days of road cycling competition held at the internationally-renowned Brands Hatch motor racetrack.

In her first Paralymics as a handcyclist, Davis captured a gold medal in the women’s H1-2 ITT with a time of 31:06.39, a full two minutes, five seconds ahead of silver medalist Karen Darke of Great Britain (33:16.09).  Switzerland’s Ursal Schwaller won the bronze (34:56.55).  The 39-year-old Davis has won every race she has entered in 2012, including three World Cup gold medals.  American Alicia Dana of Putney, VT finished fifth with a time of 37:14.18.  Davis, who became paralyzed from a 1989 ski accident, returned to the sport as a Paralympian in 1998 and won a bronze medal in alpine skiing.  She won three silver medals at the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City.

Teammate Bascio, the 2011 Time Trial World Champion and 15-time U.S. Handcycling champion, won the silver medal in the Women’s H3 ITT.  Her time of 33:39.26 was 17.65 seconds behind winner Sandra Graf of Switzerland (33:21.61).  Svetlana Moshkovich of Russia win the bronze (34:08.48). The 42-year-old Bascio represented the U.S. at the 2006 and 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in cross-country sit skiing. Her paralysis occurred in 1992 from a ski accident. This is her first Paralympic Games as a handcyclist.

Sanchez, a former U.S. Marine who suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of a hit-and-run motorcycle accident, competed in the Men’s H4 ITT.   He is a five-time World Champion in the Time Trial, and won a Paralympic gold in the ITT event in Beijing. Today the 36-year-old added a Paralympic bronze medal to his collection, finishing in 25:35.26, 45 seconds behind the best time set by Italian Alessandro Zanardi (24:50.22). Norbert Mosandl of Germany won the silver (25:17.40).

In time trial events, athletes start individually in staggered intervals and race against the clock. There were a total of 18 time trial events at this year’s Paralympic Games, with seven designated for handcyclists.  Paralympic cycling, which is now managed by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale), offers different classifications based on functional ability of athletes, including visual impairment, cerebral palsy, amputations or other physical disabilities. The Brands Hatch course was 16 kilometers in length.

Contact: U.S. Handcycling, 720.239.1360

World Champion Para-cyclist, Monica Bascio, is headed to London after all. She was reinstated by U.S. Paralympics Sunday when her three-month suspension ended for an unintentional use of a banned substance. Bascio, who competed at the 2006 and 2010 Paralympic Winter Games as a skier, is one of the medal favorites in two handcycling events at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, August 29-September 9.

The 15-time U.S. Handcycling champion tested positive for Tuaminoheptane, an ingredient in a nasal spray used to treat sinusitis, on May 25 at a Para-cycling Road World Cup event in Rome, Italy. The U.S. Anti-doping Agency (USADA) applied the discretionary reduced sanction related to the fact that Bascio took the substance in an over-the-counter medication with “no intent to enhance sport performance or mask the use of a performance-enhancing substance”

The three-month retroactive ban expired August 26, allowing Bascio to join the 227-member 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team that will compete in the upcoming London 2012 Paralympic Games. Bascio will compete in the Individual H3 Time Trial on Wednesday, Sept. 5 and H1-3 Road Race on Friday, Sept. 7.

“USADA has been very fair in handling my case, acknowledging that my use of Tuaminoheptane was unintentional. I did make an honest mistake, and readily accepted my three-month suspension. I am thrilled to be able to join my teammates in the UK, as the Paralympics have been my main focus this season,” said an upbeat Bascio as she boarded a plane at Denver International Airport today, headed to London.

Paralyzed in a 1992 ski accident, Bascio represented the U.S. at the 2006 and 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in cross-country sit skiing. This will be her first official appearance at the Paralympic Games as a handcyclist. The Individual Time Trial and Road Race events will be held on courses that include the internationally-renowned Brands Hatch motor racetrack and surrounding roads in Kent county. The 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team captured a total of 14 cycling medals in Beijing, including five gold medals.

Bascio will be the only para-cyclist racing in London who also competed at the 1998 World Championships. She is expected to medal in both events, as well as her teammate Muffy Davis of Salt Lake City, UT. They anticipate strong competition coming from Swiss and British teams. Handcycling became an official sport at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, but only for men. The sport was introduced for women for the 2008 Games in Beijing. That year Bascio was recovering from a ski racing accident and did not qualify for the U.S. team.

As a result of the sanction, the 42 year-old Bascio loses all results she earned during the three-month suspension. This includes her 2012 overall World Cup title, two 2012 U.S. National Championship titles, a road race win and time trial 2nd place from the Rome World Cup, and another road race win and time trial 2nd place from the June World Cup in Segovia, Spain.

Bascio has been an impressive handcyclist over the last decade, when she turned handcycling from a sport to cross-train for skiing into her focus for competition. She is well-known for winning the 267-mile Sadler’s Alaska Challenge, one of the world’s longest and toughest handcycle races, five times between 2000-06. She won her first world time trial title in 2002, and in 2011 added both the UCI Para-cycling Time Trial World Championship and Road Race World Championship to her resume.

There are a total of 32 road cycling medal events for men and women at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. This year, Paralympic cycling will be the third largest sport during the 12 days of competition. Paralympic cycling, which is now managed by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale), offers different classifications based on functional ability of athletes, including visual impairment, cerebral palsy, amputations or other physical disabilities. Athletes compete using bicycles, tricycles, tandems or handcycles.

There are two articles about the team.

The initial announcement is HERE.

A final announcement is HERE.

There is also a really great article about Monica’s journey to London HERE.

World Champion para-cyclist, Monica Bascio has been named as part of the Roger C. Peace Para-cycling Team for the 2012 season.

The Roger C. Peace team is a new trade team, sponsored by Greenville Hospital system’s world class rehabilitation facility and the Greenville Cycling Center. The team features 10 para-cycling athletes, including Bascio who is a London 2012 medal favorite.

“The support of Roger C. Peace, GHS, and the Greenville Cycling Center not only helps my individual efforts as an athlete, but also helps grow the sport of Para-cycling by developing new athletes and preparing them for international competition…I am really honored to be a part of such a cutting edge endeavor” said Bascio in a statement last week.

Look for Monica and the rest of the Roger C. Peace team at the USA Cycling National Championships next month.

“I decided to go to Mexico for a variety of reasons…mostly because I am exhausted and emotionally rattled, and I think the warm weather, sunshine, and opportunity for one more race will help clear my head…in addition, it’s the last chance for us to earn points towards team spots in London, and we need every women’s point possible…we’ve got a lot of talented medal contenders who need those spots.”

Bascio will be the only American in the women’s race, and will compete against a very small field of athletes, most from Mexico. “Their Para-cycling program is very new here, so perhaps I can help inspire some of the newer riders” said Bascio via telephone from Guadalajara this evening.

Bascio’s teammates, Oz Sanchez (San Diego, CA) and Matt Updike (Denver, CO) earned Gold and Silver, respectively in Sunday’s time trial. All three Americans are expected to bring home more hardware in Saturday’s road race.

Team USA Finishes on Top in Denmark

Wednesday, 14 September 2011 19:58

The U.S. Paralympic Cycling Team vaulted to the top of medal count Sunday, as the 2011 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Roskilde, Denmark concluded.

Photo: Monica Bascio (center) wins her 3rd World Title in the Road Race.

The multi-disability team earned a total of 14 medals, with 8 coming from handcyclists.

Three athletes are already preparing for their trip to the 2012 Paralympic Games in London thanks to their performances in Denmark: Monica Bascio (H3, Evergreen, CO) led the team with a pair of victories in the TT and the RR, which capped off a perfect season following her UCI World Cup overall title. Bascio took the overall victory in the WH1/2/3 road race despite being isolated by Swiss riders Ursula Schwaller and Sandra Graf on lap #3 when her teammate, Muffy Davis was dropped. Bascio played the race perfectly and outsprinted Graf for the win. Oz Sanchez (H4, San Diego, CA) won the Gold in the Individual TT and rebounded with Gold in the relay (Sanchez also won the overall World Cup title), following a 6th-placed finish in the road race. Standing athlete, Allison Jones (C2, Colorado Springs, CO) also nabbed two Gold medals in Denmark and is currently in London previewing the cycling venues for the USOC.

Muffy Davis (H2, Salt Lake City, UT) managed to take home three medals from Denmark: Two Silvers from the Individual TT and Road Race, and a Gold in the relay (with Sanchez and Matt Updike). Although still seeking the elusive individual World Title, Davis capped a stellar season following an overall World Cup title as well. Cassie Mitchell (Atlanta, GA) also won two Gold medals, thanks to her two victories over Karen March of Canada in the new women’s H1 category.

Photo: Oz Sanchez in the Road Race

Matt Updike (H2, Denver, CO) earned a bit of redemption Sunday night with a Gold in the relay on the heels of a flat tire in the individual RR that saw him drop from 3rd to 11th in the final 5 kilometers. Updike continues to shake-off mechanical issues at big international events, and the relay was no exception when his left crank arm rotated 30 degrees at the relay start and he lost 30 seconds. He managed to get it fixed and chased wildly to catch all but the Swiss team, but left a gap of only :08 which was bridged by Davis, leaving it to Sanchez who outsprinted Jean-Marc Berset of Switerland for the Gold.

Photo: Matt Updike (2nd row, right side) gets ready for his RR start.

Other U.S. athletes earned valuable experience at their first international races, including Dane Pilon (H4, Fayetteville, NC) who dropped a chain in the TT and finished just outside the medals and then crashed in the RR after sitting comfortably in the lead group. Tony Pedeferri (H1, Camarillo, CA) looked solid mid-pack in the H1 race and feels like he now has “a good indication of where I need to be going in to 2012.” Leon Bostick (Northridge, CA) struggled in the H2 race after an unfortunate reclassification from H1 to H2 by the UCI.

In the standing categories, Greta Neimanas and Meg Fisher both won medals and the tandem team of Karissa Whitsell and Lisa Turnbull won Gold in the Road Race.

USA Medal Summary

Time Trial
H1W – Mitchell, Gold
H2W – Davis, Silver
H3W – Bascio, Gold
H4M – Sanchez, Gold
C2W – Jones, Gold
C4W – Fisher, Silver
C5W – Neimanas, Bronze

Road Race
H1W – Mitchell, Gold
H2W – Davis, Silver
H3W – Bascio, Gold
C2W – Jones, Gold
C4W – Fisher,  Bronze
Tandem – Whitsell/Turnbull, Gold

Handcycle Relay
Updike/Davis/Sanchez, Gold

Complete results, more photos, etc can be found on the event website HERE.

Photo: Monica Bascio (left) and Muffy Davis prepare for the start of the RR

Photo: Tony Pedeferri warming up before the RR

U.S. Athletes Grab Four World Titles in Denmark

Friday, 09 September 2011 17:01

Photo: Monica Bascio in Thursay’s Time Trial

Monica Bascio (WH3, Evergreen, CO), Cassie Mitchell (WH1, Atlanta, GA), and Oz Sanchez (MH4, San Diego, CA) were crowned World Champions yesterday at the UCI  Para-cycling Road World Championships in Roskilde, Denmark. Muffy Davis (Salt Lake City, UT) won the only other handcyclnig medal for Team USA with a silver in the women’s H2 event.

Sanchez asserted his dominance in the Time Trial discipline with his 4th consecutive win on the international stage following TT victories at the Paralympic Games in Beijing, China and the 2009 & 2010 World Championships in Bogogno, Italy and Baie Comeau, Canada respectively. Sanchez’ time of 23:34 was 00:26 faster than Alessandro Zanardi of Italy and it was another 00:15 back to 3rd-placed, Norbert Mosandl of Germany.

Monica Bascio has been stellar in her return to handcycle racing after a 5 year hiatus from the sport. She won the 2011 overall UCI World Cup title and now, her second World Championship. It’s been nine years since she won the Time Trial at the 2002 World Championships in Altenstadt, Germany. “Back then, it was IPC, not UCI, so I am super happy to have earned the full UCI rainbow jersey with five stripes…the one I got in 2002 only had 3 stripes.” Bascio finished in a time of 28:26, 36 seconds in front of silver medalist, Sandra Graf of Switzerland. Susan Reid of New Zealand finished 3rd in a time of 31:33.

Newcomer, Cassie Mitchell won the first-ever women’s H1 World Title in a time of 39:21, besting Karen March of Canada by more than 10 minutes. Mitchell is helping the UCI break new ground by participating in a new category recognized for the first time in 2011.

The U.S. Paralympic Cycling Team won eight TT medals in total. Allison Jones (C2, Colorado Springs, CO) won yet another TT World title, Greta Neimanas (C5, Colorado Springs, CO) took home the bronze, Meg Fisher (C4, Bozeman, MT) won the silver, and the tandem team of Clark Rachfal and Dave Swanson won bronze in their time trial on Friday. Some of the U.S. athletes are seeking redemption in Saturday’s road race, including Dane Pilon — who dropped a chain and finished 4th in the men’s H4 race — Sam Kavanaugh — who flatted in the Men’s C5 race — and Jonathon Copsey — who went down in a gravel-filled corner in the men’s C5 race.

Full results from the TT can be found HERE.

Stay tuned to ushf.org for more results from Denmark as the road race kicks off on Saturday.