The City of Huntsville is preparing to host the 2025 U.S. Paralympics Cycling Time Trial. The nation’s top Para-cyclists are set to take over the Rocket City this weekend for the competition.
The March 29 contest at Cummings Research Park will determine Team USA’s roster for the first two Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Para-Cycling World Cup competitions of the 2025 season, according to a press release.
The Huntsville races follow the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, where U.S. cyclists brought home eight medals. The weekend trial will kick off a new Paralympic quad as Team USA turns its focus to Los Angeles in 2028, reports U.S. Paralympics Cycling.
The Paralympic competition program includes sprints, individual pursuits, the 1000m time trial, road races and road time trials for both individuals and teams. There are five sport classes for hand cycling, two for tricycle, and five for bicycle, whilst the three sport classes for the tandem compete in one event, according to the U.S. Paralympics Cycling's website.
The sport was developed in the 1980s and was first open to vision impaired athletes who competed in tandems with a sighted pilot. Over the following years, Para-Cycling started to include those with cerebral palsy, amputations and other physical impairments, who compete on bicycles, tricycles and hand cycles.
Many of the country’s best Para-cyclists, including Paris medalists, are expected to compete for world cup roster spots in Huntsville.
The Rocket City previously hosted the 2021 and 2022 U.S. Paralympics Cycling Open. Most recently, Huntsville held the first-ever domestic UCI Para-cycling World Cup in 2023.
The city, a longtime partner of U.S. Paralympics Cycling, was also awarded the 2026 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships, which will be the first Para-cycling world championships held in the U.S. since 2014, according to the organization.
The Huntsville Police Department is advising residents and drivers to prepare for temporary road closures and potential traffic delays as the city hosts the 2025 trial this weekend.
The event is free, family-friendly and open to the public.
