Spartikus Posted November 1, 2019 Posted November 1, 2019 Good day and thank you to all who took the time to open this thread. My name is Gavin Kilpatrick, some of you may remember me from a spectacular crash on a track tandem with Michael Thomson in the semi finals of the men's sprint for blind and visually impaired cyclists against those darn Ausies at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. A long journey has unfolded since then and I currently find myself competing as a Paratriathlete based in Cape Town with my guide Michael Harris. I have started an initiative to get more people with sight impairments involved in sport and specifically tandem cycling and triathlon. There are currently 5 male and three female VI athletes competing at various distances and levels of competition and we would like to double this number with the generous assistance of the cycling community. The greatest challenge for a person with a sight impairment is to find a willing and able guide to assist them with preparation for competition but then there is the requirement for equipment and the need for tandem bikes. Any equipment would be welcome, both road and mountain as there are also Cross tri events. My request is to anyone who would be willing to either donate a bike, loan a bike or even wish to guide an athlete to please contact me through my club DeltaSport (www.deltasport.co.za) which is now a registered triathlon club under the CTTA region of the Western Cape. Athletes have the opportunity to compete in triathlon and duathlon and represent their provinces at national and international level as well as the opportunity to qualify for the Paralympic games. There are three categories in the PTVI class. B1, B2 and B3. and competition times are similar to those of the ITU elite women's category. Our aim is to give people with an impairment the opportunity to race and compete on a level playing field as well as promote the sport of disability and integrate it with able body sport. This initiative is also extended to people of other disabilities who are more then welcome to contact me for more information as there are a total of 9 various disability classes within Paratriathlon and we would greatly appreciate equipment donations towards these athletes as well if you are able to make a contribution of any sort. We hope to grow and develop the progeram for Paratriathletes oiver the next few years and qualify athletes in all disability classes through this initiative with the assistance from Triathlon South Africa. You can contact me on info@deltasport.co.za or call me on 0722122058 RegardsGavinDo not be afraid of people with disabilities, be motivated by them!!!
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