LOCAL para-cyclist Dean Cameron has returned home from the para-cycling road national championships with more medals to add to his growing collection.
Cameron won silver in the 2019 Federation University road nationals in Buninyong, Victoria, riding on a tandem bicycle with pilot Darren Toms of Cleveland.
Cameron said he was proud of the result, considering the difficult course and tough conditions.
“(Thoms and I) have only been training for the event for six months,” Cameron said.
“I was a bit nervous at the start line, because I found out there was a three kilometre climb at five per cent (slope gradient).
“At the top of the hill we jammed our chain, and the rest of the group pulled ahead.
“We had to try to catch up, and we were hitting (speeds of) about 85 kilometres (per hour) on the descent.”
Cameron received bronze medals for the individual time trial and road race at the same event in 2017.
His achievement in Victoria promises to be the first in an eventful year.
In the next week, he will take to Anna Meares Velodrome for the state track para-cycling championships.
He said that while most cyclists would train in either track or road cycling, he had chosen to compete in both.
“It’s hard to cross-train, so mainly people pick a certain discipline,” he said.
“Track is a lot more intensive because you’re going at high speeds for a shorter distance.”
Also on Cameron’s calendar for 2019 was the Ironman triathlon in Port Macquarie.
Cameron said Toms had convinced him to take part in the notoriously difficult event.
“Now I just have to learn how to swim faster,” he said.
“It will be an interesting challenge.”
