29-Year-Old Irish Cyclist Shares Insights on Paracycling, Winter Preparations, and the Exciting Journey Ahead

Ronan Grimes, the Athenry paracyclist is bracing up for an exceptionally hectic and busy schedule ahead. Grimes, a 29-year-old, has been in top form recently and has had significant success in the previous season. The Irish para-athlete displayed exceptional talent to clinch medals at the Para Cycling World Championships which was held in Glasgow. After his impeccable display, Grimes is now being touted among the best para-athletes in the world. 

However, looking at the season that lies ahead of him, it surely looks to be a challenging one for Grimes. For instance, he will be participating in the Rio World Championships and a couple of World Cups. To top it all, the Paralympics in Paris will be an event that Grimes would not want to miss. Talking about his preparations for such a long season, Grimes recently sat down for an interview where he got candid. 

Ronan Grimes targets para-cycling glory 

Grimes recently talked with John Mulligan and detailed how he will be perceiving the upcoming season. The Irishman started by stating that he had a great preseason that should help him in the Track World Championships to be held in March. When Mulligan asked him that with two World Cup events slated, will he participate in all the three events, Grimes answered in a resounding “yes.” 

As the interview went on, Grimes further explained how he prepared for the big stages by competing in lesser-known ones. The 29-year-old said that he participated in the able-bodied cycling race last year and would do so this year as well. According to Grimes, such a competition would serve as a parameter to help him judge where he stood. Moving on, the athlete also talked about competing in the Ross Moon, the biggest amateur race in Ireland. 

Grimes also doubled down on the fact that the lack of a Velodrome in Ireland had caused problems for him to get accustomed to the tracks. However, in the preseason preparations, Grimes was lucky enough to be involved in a couple of training camps with Pursuit, which helped him with some quality track time ahead of his busy season. 

As Grimes eyes para-cycling glory, he is also transforming as a personality that new athletes are looking up to. 

Ronan Grimes on new people joining the team

During the interview, Grimes was asked about how new athletes came in to bond with the experienced ones. Elated by the question, Grimes stated that there were indeed several new ones joining the team. Citing as an example, he pointed out that a couple of male para-athletes joined the group last season in solo bikes. 

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Overall, although Grimes could not tell the difference, the transition from just being an athlete to someone whom the juniors looked up to was an honor. He also emphasized on the fact that the para-cycling realm was growing with each day which goes on to portray the success of para-athletes that has instilled the confidence among the others to tag along. 

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