(Montreal) Charles Moreau’s early start to the season was not an obstacle for him to be one of the main players in the 54.6 kilometer H3 road race on Wednesday at the Para-cycling World Cup. ‘Adelaide, Australia, where he took seventh place.
Two days earlier, the handcycle specialist had been decorated with the bronze medal in the individual time trial. The winner of Monday’s solo effort, the Norwegian Christian Gyldenohr, then beat the Italian Martino Pini.
On Wednesday, in the road race, it was Pini who won solo with a lead of 40 seconds over the Norwegian. The Spaniard Luis Miguel Garcia-Marquina Cascallana completed the podium, just ahead of the Ontarian Joey Desjardins, also a member of this group of five pursuers. Moreau crossed the finish line 1 minute 4 seconds behind the Italian.
“Joey Desjardins and I worked well. I tried to make a breakaway on the fourth of seven laps hoping that two or three riders would join me so that we could work together, but that ultimately wasn’t the case, so I returned to the peloton.” , supported the Victoriaville athlete who returned to the charge with one lap to go.
No effort was wasted, he then positioned Desjardins for the sprint.
Moreau will not leave Australia feeling bitter.
“I’m super happy with how the race went, especially because it’s been three races in a row that I haven’t had any mechanical problems. The solutions we found this fall are bearing fruit,” he said, referring to the system that aligns the angle of the rear wheels of his bike.
Last year, this system caused him a lot of problems because it went out of adjustment after passing over less suitable surfaces, which generated additional resistance.
“With my third place in the time trial obtained 48 hours earlier, I’m super happy, especially considering it’s an early start to the season. I have never raced in January in my 12 year career. »
Louis-Albert Corriveau-Jolin was the eighth to cross the finish line of the 23.4 kilometer T2 road race with a delay of just under 4 minutes on the winner, the German Maximilian Jäger.
On the Canadian side, veteran Shelley Gauthier finished second in the women’s T1 road race, while Nathan Clement was bronze medalist in the same class, but in the men’s event.
After this first stop of the World Cup season, Charles Moreau occupies fourth place in the H3 rankings. He will take part in two other World Cups this spring in Europe, in order to collect as many points as possible to ensure his third participation in the Paralympic Games, this time in Paris.