Kelly Cycle Coaching is delighted to report that Carol Cooke is not only a Paralympic Gold medallist, but overnight also became a Para World Champion.

We spoke to Carol early this morning and to say that she is estatic would be an understatement.  It has been a great journey since 2011 and she has come a long way from the days when she rode a steel framed red 22kg trike and never rode more than 40km!!  We’ve certainly given her some tough sessions this year, but she was ready for the challenge and from this hard work, she’s earned herself a big rainbow jersey!

Here is Carol’s report blog from the day before and after she becomes World Champion:

Tomorrow is the Time Trial at the World Para-Cycling Championships for the Trike category. The entire last year of my life has led to this point. All those training sessions on the trike, in the pool, in the gym and in the lab have led up to tomorrow.

I had my last hit out on the course this morning and I feel good. It is a tough course with a 3km climb right from the start then moving into some good downhill pieces but interspersed with some technical corners. The weather forecast has changed daily and right now it is calling for 12 degrees, sun with a bit of cloud. It was calling for rain, but now says it will rain tonight. I’m fine with the weather, it is what I have been training in.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey: my husband Russ who has been my rock, my coach Helen for her training program’s (although I may have cursed her during some efforts!), my family (Canadian and Australian),the Victorian Institute of Sport for their support, Michael Crooks who has helped me get so much stronger, my amazing sponsor Liv/giant who have believed in my ability, Cycling Australia and the Para-Cycling staff and to all my friends who have supported me over the last year…I will do my best tomorrow. I will be leaving everything out there on the course just like I have left no stone unturned in the lead up.

Helen gave me a poster last year that read;
Take PRIDE in how far you have come and have FAITH in how far you can go.
Tomorrow I know I can go far!

Race Day

I woke up this morning feeling more nervous than I ever have before a race. This is really an unusual feeling for me because I don’t really get nervous before a race, just a few butterflies in the stomach before I set off. This morning was different and I really had to try and get it under control. The one thing that helped me forget about the nerves was helping my roommate out with getting ready etc.

We headed down to the course and with time trials I plan almost each minute out before my start time. I got on the rollers at 9:55 am to do my 40 minute warm up and felt pretty good. The weather was pretty cold for summer in Canada only 13 degrees and the wind was picking up. The only good thing about it was that it was exactly what I have been training in at home. Thank god for Beach Road and the wind! As I always say to the ladies I ride with (Wheel Women), “The wind is your friend”…at least for half the time!

From the start we had about a 2.5-3km climb and a tail wind! It was the fastest uphill climb I think I have ever done. But where you have a tail wind you will eventually have a headwind. And that hit me like a brick wall just after the second corner. Actually on the second corner I scared myself with a two wheel turn through the corner…I think I thought I could ride two wheels again! But at least I got through it and through all the other corners and technical bits.

I hit a top speed of just over 54km/hr and my max wattage was 693! Not too bad in these conditions and on a trike! About 300m from the finish we had to climb an 8% gradient hill for about 30m, just a short, but steep hill and then it was a sprint to the finish. When I finished I had nothing left in the tank, I had given it all I could and it was now up to the clock! I had passed two of the riders, the girl from the Netherlands within the first kilometre and then the German around 4km. My main rival from Canada started first 3 minutes ahead of me and due to the technical bits of the course there is no way I would ever see where she was. So at the finish I had no idea what kind of time she had done.

It wasn’t long before I was told by our staff that I had indeed won, but they didn’t know by how much. That didn’t matter to me, I had won! I couldn’t believe that I was now a World Champion! In the end I found out that I had won by 1 minute 9 seconds, so that was a convincing win. To be honest it was probably a more satisfying win than last year in London and I think that is because Marie-Eve, the Canadian, didn’t race in London due to injury. I think I wanted to prove that my win last year was justified, silly I know, because on the day it is all about who shows up. But I can tell you that I am going to bed tonight with the biggest grin on my face! It has been one hell of a good day!

Rest day tomorrow with a light spin and get ready for the Road Race on Saturday.