COFFS Harbour adaptive cyclist Hank Duchateau has won a gold medal at the 2023 AusCycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships in Wagga Wagga.

The 74-year-old won the national championship in the Adaptive Men (21km) event.

He described the conditions he had to ride on his way to winning the gold medal.

“Uphill, downhill, through mud, a bit of criterium track, a bit of climbing, a bit of fire trail, a bit of single track, it was fantastic,” he said.

The national champion gave an insight into his training and preparation for riding events.

“I’ve got a coach that trains me every week at the velodrome at Toormina, I go out there on my track bike, and I also do a program at home called Swift, which I train indoors three days a week, a bit of weight work, a bit of stretchy bend work, and then ride,” he said.

“I always do a pre-race ride to make sure that everything is working alright, that I’m working okay, and start mentally preparing for the race.”

In addition to his national title winning achievements, Duchateau also established Coffs Coast Adaptive Cycling to help make cycling accessible to people of all abilities across the Coffs Coast region.

The group meets every Tuesday from 10am to 12 noon at the Toormina Cycling Complex (velodrome) on Minorie Drive.

By Aiden BURGESS