Roxy Geared Up for New Zealand UCI Para Track Racing

[Matt]

Roxy Geared Up for New Zealand UCI Para Track Racing

Press Release: Cycling South Africa

 

15 November 2011 – South Africa’s Para-cycling track team is anticipating their upcoming trip to New Zealand, where they will compete against some of the world’s best at the UCI Oceania Track Event to be held in Invercargill, from 21 to 24 November 2011.

 

The P1 status of the event will enable riders to gain points towards their UCI individual world ranking and South Africa’s nation ranking in this critical build-up period ahead of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

 

One such athlete eager to gauge the results of her new high-performance training program is 23-year old Stellenbosch resident Roxy Burns. Roxy, who started competing at 12-years of age in a Western Province team, is world-ranked by the UCI as No. 1 in her class for 2010.

 

Looking back, she recalls, “at the age of 12 it was all fun and games”, and soon realised there's no fun in only beating herself every time. “Now at international competitions I enjoy the competitiveness of the international riders,” says Roxy. “In South Africa I have no competition (I am the only female C4 in the country taking part in cycling). It is so much more exciting to measure yourself against people rather than just your own times.”

 

Working with coach Ian Rodger and high-performance specialist Ben Capostagno has made a remarkable difference to Roxy’s training regime. “It is nice to know that there is a support team monitoring my progress and if there is something that is not right it will be picked up immediately, even before I know,” says Roxy. “The ability to ask advice and the knowledge that experts are monitoring my progress is comforting indeed.”

 

In addition to spending the past few months honing particular track racing skills, Roxy has also focussed on strength training in the gym at the Sport Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA). This is clearly reflected in her on-track performances. With the 500m time trial being her main focus, Roxy has worked hard on speed drills and explosiveness. “We have also been working on pacing for the 3000m pursuit, so that I can maintain a steady pace throughout the race and not 'blow' in the first 500m,” adds Roxy.

 

Roxy will join her male teammates Jaco Nel (C2), Janos Plekker (C4), Stephan Herholdt (C4), Dane Wilson (C5) and Juan Wilken (C3) in New Zealand this weekend, with racing starting on Monday 21 November.

 

Working with her coach and a high-performance specialist has made a remarkable difference to Roxy Burns’ training regime, and she looks forward to taking to the track in Invercargill in New Zealand early next week © Karin Burns