The 2023 UCI World Championships in Glasgow will feature all cycling disciplines for the first time and will include the paracycling discipline. Taking advantage of this integration, Dame Sarah Storey hopes to use her goal of recovering from a serious injury to challenge for selection in the women's time trial as well as the events she normally aims for in paracycling.
"I fell in a road race at the Road World Cup when another rider deviated from the line and crossed right across my front wheel," she said of her long-term goal.
"I had concussion symptoms, broken ribs, and a partially collapsed lung.
"I just returned from training camp and have returned to my normal level of training and intensity. He is ahead of schedule and should have no long-term damage."
Story will return to racing on October 9 at the Curlew Cup in Northumberland. This forms the first part of a long-term plan that will culminate in the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 Olympics.
Another stepping stone toward these goals will be the Paracycling Track World Championships in Paris in October, where selection will be finalized next month.
"After that, I have a short off-season break before I start preparing for the 2023 Glasgow Games," said Story, who stated that he will be aiming for selection on both teams.
During his long and illustrious career, Story has won 29 world titles and 17 Paralympic gold medals.
"Competing in my ninth Paralympic Games in Paris is my current major goal for this Paralympic cycle.
"It would be great to compete in Paris and see if I can defend the title I won at the last Games."
In parallel to racing, Story has established the team Story Racing and the Skoda DSI Academy, a one-year program for female cyclists aged 18-24, to give them a clear direction in the sport and help them reach their full potential. The company is also working to develop the program.
Now in its fourth year, Academy graduates are beginning to build cycling careers.
"Skoda DSI Cycling Academy graduate Rebecca Richards competed in her first international races in the US and France and has grown beyond expectations.
"Morgan Newberry, another Skoda DSI Cycling Academy graduate, was selected for the Para Cycling Road World Championships. She finished in the top 10 in both races, which was a great result for her. She has since gone from strength to strength, winning the National Time Trial Championships in the C5 category."
She was also named to the Para Cycling World Championships in the C5 category.
At the academy, riders receive tailor-made racing, training, and career advice to complement their existing club and team activities, as well as social media training and sport psychology programs.
Ride experiences form the core of the program, which this year includes the men's Tour of Britain, the women's Tour, and the inaugural Tour de France Femme.
"The Academy had a variety of experiences this year, being the first full year after the Covid regulation. It was an exciting mix, from visiting the Tour de France and seeing the women's race start for the first time in 33 years, to spending time with me working on individual rides and working with a sports psychologist," said Story. [Visiting the men's and women's Tour of Britain races has given the athletes a different perspective on racing, and they have seen how different stage types and course profiles in the men's race can change race tactics.
Comments