Is there a higher form of trust than riding a Paralympic tandem? A visually-impaired ‘stoker’ provides power and is guided around the velodrome track at breathtaking high speed by a sighted pilot.
It is one of the most exhilarating sights in sport as Welsh duo James Ball and Steffan Lloyd prepare to fulfil those roles for ParalympicsGB at Paris 2024, with communication and a strong relationship fundamental to their hopes of victory.
“We’ve really got to know each other on and off the bike,” said Carmarthen star Lloyd.
“James instinctively knows what I’m going to do on the track, and we’ve become good friends.
"We have the same sense of humour, the same interests and I know I’ve got a great friend out of doing this, as well as many medals we might win.”
Ponthir’s Ball started his sporting life as a sprinter who switched to cycling having narrowly missed out on the London 2012 Paralympics.
Joining forces with former pilot Lewis Stewart, Ball won Paralympic silver in debut at Tokyo 2020, covering a kilometre in 59.503 seconds.
“It’s like a balancing act on a tandem really,” said Ball. “I’m trying to be as smooth as I can while Stef’s in control on the front. When we’re going round the corners at high speed, we’re trying to be as in sync as possible and we want every training session to be like that.
“We’re just trying to be as steady as we can, even with all of the force that’s going through the bike. I just want to support Stef to do the best possible job that he can and get the fastest time.”
Ball and Lloyd suffered a freak crash in 2023, an incident that proved a real jolt to their Paralympic preparations and left the former particularly shaken.
“It was no-one’s fault, but it set us back quite a bit,” said Ball. “I found it very difficult to get back on the bike and fully commit to all of the efforts we were doing.
“I learned that it’s so much harder when you have two people on the tandem, two people’s emotions, so it needed a lot of perseverance and trying again and again to get back to peak form.”
The duo is among the 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – this is vital for their pathway to the Paris 2024 Games.
“I don’t think we could have done any of this without the backing of The National Lottery,” said Lloyd. “We have one of the best tandem bikes in the world and it’s such a solid bike, which gives us so much confidence that we have all of the tools possible to perform.”
Ball said: “We have such a big support network helping us, great coaches, good medical staff, and everything we need. That wouldn’t be possible without The National Lottery.”
With more than £30M a week raised for Good Causes, including vital funding into elite and grassroots sport, National Lottery players support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes to live their dreams and make the nation proud, as well as providing more opportunities for people to take part in sport. To find out more visit: lotterygoodcauses.org.uk
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