David Stone Confident of Gold in Beijing
Story posted September 1
By Larry Hickmott
(See Related Links at the bottom of the page for other interviews)
David and his first World title in 2006. He now has his sights set on Paralympic Gold!
Busy in France last week preparing for the Paralympic Games in Beijing was World Champion in the CP2 category, David Stone. The Leeds based rider has ridden the Games before, in Sydney 2000, and when asked what it means to him to be going to Beijing and the Paralympics, he replied "Going into the Paralympics with the form that I have and having done the work I’ve done, means a lot. I always said after Sydney that I wouldn’t go to another Games unless I thought I could win Gold in an event. I feel very positive while enjoying a few nerves."
Asked what the highlights of his career were so far, David told British Cycling “winning the road race at my first World Championships having ridden away from the competition within the first 50 meters” was one he explained . “Then my race at the able bodied World Tricycle championships in the road race where I picked up 5th in hard conditions on a tricky course and turning a few heads in the process!”
Talking about the travelling he has done for his sport, David admits that “I needed a sense of space and freedom to grow outside of cycling and my family in order to become comfortable as an individual with a disability in the world. I was also able to come back to cycling knowing that this was what I wanted to do and to give it my all.”
David’s training during a season will depend on what phase his coach Gary Brickley has him in and the number of hours can range from 15 to 25 hours. “We’ve been doing a lot of work on the Trike this year in the time trial position and working on pedalling efficiency. I still do a lot of endurance stuff and enjoy riding in the hills. The Viking Tour in Norway this year was a fantastic training venue and I have got a lot of form out of it as a result.”
In any athlete’s life, there are always a lot of people who help them reach the top and David is no exception. “I’ve worked with Gary since 1997 and see him as the foundation of my success, producing structured and challenging training programmes, offering support through out and getting me to the start line in the best condition possible. I have a lot of trust in Gary.”
Dave Mellor has also been very much a part of my success. He showed me how to enjoy racing and being a part of a team again. He always thought outside the box and I think pushed Disabled cycling forward massively. He took aspects and skills he had acquired from working with other squads and tweaked them to work within the Disability squad to produce a very successful team. My family too has been massively supportive through out”.
Over the last few years I have seen David on two wheels and three, on the road and on the track (on two wheels of course!). Asked did it take a lot of getting used to racing a Trike, David replied “yes, the trike took a lot of getting used to but I think now I’m fairly confident on it. People say it’s improved my descending skills on two wheels massively. It’s very different and a lot of fun. I think I realised I had tamed the trike at the able bodied World Championships this year where I was able to hold the wheels of some skilled trike riders!”
David on his current trike all blinged out with deep section wheels...
“We have stuck to the old trike due to delays in getting the new one built and being confident on the old one. We have got some 808’s (deep section wheels) which are fantastic to ride and listen too. They hold the road even better than when used on a normal bike. My trike has Shimano Dura-ace on it through out, disc brake at the rear and looks bling kitted out!”
Finally. The last time I saw David win a race, a World title no less, he pulled a 'wheelie' on his trike to celebrate the victory. Will he do the same again in Beijing we asked? “Any win in Beijing will be emotional, so who knows!” was the enthusiastic reply!
Good luck to David in Beijing.
RELATED LINKS
2006 World Paralympic Cycling Championships
2007 World Paralympic Cycling Championships
GB Star at Para-cycle Tour of Bizkaia
2008 Paralympic Games Interviews
Scotland’s Aileen McGlynn Pursuing More Gold
Paralympics is Dream Come True for Rachel Morris