Paracyclist’s team inclusion bittersweet
Local paracyclist Gary Coetsee has been included in the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships team.
The event takes place in Maniago, Italy, from August 2 to 5. From July 6 to 8 the team will also be competing in the UCI Para-cycling World Cup in Emmen, the Netherlands.
Coetsee is joined in the five-man team by Toni Mould, Pieter du Preez, Goldy Fuchs and Gerhard Viljoen.
For Coetsee, his inclusion is bittersweet. “The costs are astronomical and organising it is crazy,” he told Lowvelder. “You have to do every single thing yourself.”
Cycling SA has said in a statement that, due to financial constraints within the federation, they would be unable to assist with funding the team’s participation at the event.
“As a team we can’t band together,” Coetsee added. “Two people will be staying for a whole month, but I have a business to run. So it is difficult to do things together as a team. It is a logistical nightmare.”
Coetsee will arrive about two weeks before each event. He leaves for the Netherlands on June 28. After the event he will return to South Africa, and leave for Italy on July 25.
He hopes the sacrifice and financial outlay will be worth it as he chases his dream to participate in the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
“The biggest problem is that, if I want to get to the Olympics two years from now, I need to build up points for South Africa to stand a chance of qualifying to send a team. I need to make sure that I get there. That is what it is all about.”
ALSO SEE: Local paracyclist places second at World Cup
