Blind South African adventurer Hein Wagner and co-pilot Alwyn de Kock will give their Olympic ambitions a boost when they line up for the blind tandem event at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Pietermaritzburg this weekend.
“If we perform well at the World Cup, we hope to get invited to more international events in the future. We dream of going to the 2016 Rio Paralympics,” said Wagner.
For more news see: 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup
He said it was a very proud moment when he was selected for Team SA after the national champs in February.
“There is something so powerful in wearing your SA kit. It makes me feel bulletproof!”
De Kock said this project had been a year in the making and that it was wonderful to see their plan coming together.
“A top-three here will prove that the effort was worth it and also that we can progress to the next level. In order to participate at Rio, we need international points and hopefully podium finishes.”
Wagner said he and De Kock were currently on an intense training programme designed to improve both speed and power.
They train together three times a week and follow separate but identical programmes on the three other training days.
“Alwyn has put a huge amount of effort in to making my dream a reality and I owe him my best performance on the day,” said Wagner.
“What a privilege it is to represent this amazing country at an international event!”
