Varese, Italy — Glen Chadwick will continue his already impressive season by representing Team Type 1 in Sunday’s World Road Race Championship in Varese, Italy.The 161-mile (260 km) race will be streamed on Universalsports.com beginning at 6:50 a.m. EST/3:50 a.m. PST.
Chadwick said he is not sure what to expect in the prestigious one-day race that rewards the winner with the honor of wearing a rainbow-striped jersey for a year. He will ride in support of New Zealand national road champion Julian Dean.
“I think it will all depend on my recovery,” he said. “There will be no specific training involved – just rest and recovery.”
Chadwick has endured a roller-coaster ride of emotions this season. The highs include his participation in the Summer Olympics in Beijing, overall victory at the Vuelta Mexico earlier this month, two stage wins and the overall title at the Tour of Arkansas in May, the King of the Mountain title at the Tour de Beauce in June and a second King of the Mountaisn crown at the Tour of Utah in August.
Few could have imagined the 31-year-old would accomplish so much considering he was hospitalized for several weeks in February, suffering from Epstein-Barr virus in his spine. The illness causes mononucleosis and is potentially fatal.
If that wasn’t enough, Chadwick’s then-two-year-old daughter, Jade, contracted Staphylococcus virus in her spine last October and was in and out of the hospital until late December. Keeping the family afloat in this difficult time was Chadwick’s wife, Isabelle, who balanced a full-time job while sleeping most nights next to Jade or Glen in the hospital.
“It’s been a tough 12 months physically – and even more mentally,” Chadwick said. “Especially with my little girl being sick nearly 12 months ago. She's my absolute world and to go through what she had to deal with really pushed me on in Mexico. The final stage, the Scott-American Beef team really threw everything at me and when I was alone up front with them and they kept attacking me, I just kept telling myself that this was for Jade.”
Sunday’s 15-lap race on an up-and-down course includes two long climbs – something that will certainly favor Chadwick’s strengths, said New Zealand Coach Jacques Landry.
“The main job for Glen is to support Julian over the first four hours of the race, and ensure he gets all the drinks and nutrition he needs,” Landry said. “He did that job fantastically well in Beijing. From that point if he lasts then great, but Julian is quite capable of looking after himself from there.”
Photo: Courtesy Team Type 1
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