BMW brand ambassador and works race-driver Alessandro Zanardi had fun defending his title at the 2017 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa—but he had to work at it. He was the favorite to repeat in his time-trial category, and he did just that on Thursday, August 31.
Zanardi's victory in the MH5 class (men's hand cycle) gave him his ninth career world championship in his para-cycling career.
The time trial consisted of three laps around the 4.82-mile course for a total of 14.48 miles. Alex covered the distance in 37 minutes and 47.96 seconds, a time that was 2.6 seconds ahead of second-place Tim de Vries of the Netherlands. It was Zanardi's fourth world title in this discipline and continued his streak in the event from the last world championships two years ago in Switzerland.
“I am very proud of this result and I want to thank everybody in my team, including my wife Daniela, who contributed to it,” said Zanardi. “It was a very long race, pretty technical, and the interpretation of the unfolding race was the key to finishing with a smile on my face. On the first lap I was fourth, then second on lap two, and on lap three I was ahead. I guess I not only had what it took to win the gold medal but I also used it in the best possible way.”
Zanardi knew the competition would be tough, especially for someone his age.
“When you win by only two seconds after over 37 minutes of competition you have to admit that you were not stronger than the guy who finished second but that you were just a little luckier,” Zanardi continued. “But I was certainly as strong as my rivals and, as I am approaching the age of 51, I think it is quite remarkable, given that some of these guys are in their mid-twenties. So I am proud of it and I take it.”
The next day, Saturday, September 1st, Zanardi competed in a 37.72-mile MH5 category road race and finished second—by 00.00 seconds. Yes, the official finishing times were so close that the clock could not measure the incredibly tiny difference between Alex and Tim de Vries, who was awarded first place and the world championship in the event.
The winning—and second-place—times for the event were 1 hour, 50 minutes and eleven seconds, with de Vries visually finishing only centimeters in front of Zanardi, who took the disappointment in good spirits.
“After all, to finish second is a great result. I think we put on a great show and you have to take it, it is as simple as it is. So I am very happy,” said Zanardi. “I knew I was very strong in the last corner and if I could enter it in third place, leaving a little gap in front of me, then I could go through the corner really fast and easily catch the two guys in front and pull away a bit from Tim de Vries, who I knew was my strongest opponent. Everything went exactly as I planned until the two guys in front backed out. At that point I was stuck behind and it was far too early to go into the final sprint. That allowed Tim to come back to us very easily and then at that point he was in the best position because when I started my sprint, he was right behind me and then he got me in the very, very last meters.”
“But it was a very good race,” Zanardi continued. “I think overall I was at least as strong as Tim and sometimes it works for you and sometimes it works for others. But to come home with a silver medal, after such an interesting battle, is a good result. Tim won a great title today and hats off to him, but next time I will make his life as hard as I can again.”
Zanardi's final opportunity for another title came on Sunday, September 3, in the MH5 men's hand-cycle team relay. Racing for the defending world champion Italian national team, Alex helped his team dominate the event and in the process gathered his tenth para-cycling world championship.
The team relay consisted of nine laps on a 0.68 miles for a total distance of 6.09 miles. The Italian team competed the event in 16 minutes, 31.734 seconds and finished six seconds ahead of the U.S. team that took second place.
“I am extremely happy and joyful about winning another gold medal, my tenth overall,” said Zanardi. “I am also very happy as we broke a record as the Italian para-cycling team and won more gold medals at this event than ever before. It is fantastic for the entire team.”
“If I sum up the event from my personal view: it was great,” Zanardi continued. “What can I say? I claimed two more gold medals. In the road race, I ‘only’ finished second, but it was very close and to see that I am still this competitive at my age is kind of remarkable. I have to be proud of that—and now I try to recover a little bit because I have some other very, very important events waiting for me.”
As important as the Para-cycling World Championships are to Zanardi, he already has his eye-and his training regimen—on another event in which cycling is only a third of the contest. Alex will compete in the 2017 Ironman World Championship at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 14. He will warm up for the big event by competing in two long-distance triathlons this month in Croatia and Spain.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
