Riders during the paralympic cycling training session at Brands Hatch Picture: Matthew Walker

by Martin Jefferies

Some of the world’s top Paralympic athletes got to grips with the challenging road cycling course at Brands Hatch for the first time this week.

The Kent circuit hosted a training session for around 150 sportsmen and women on Tuesday, just two-and-a-half months before they compete for real.

Many of the ParalympicsGB squad were in action, joined by athletes from all over the world.

Tandem rider Craig Maclean from Scotland, who is hoping to make his Paralympics debut this summer, said: "It’s a great opportunity to race on a part of British motor racing history.

"The track is slightly hillier than we’d expected but when you’re going at speed and you’re riding in a bunch of other riders, you often find you’re able to float up what had previously seemed like quite a steep hill."

Brands Hatch is Kent’s only Games venue. More than 200 athletes from around 40 countries will compete on bicycles, tricycles, tandems and hand cycles, racing around an 8km loop which takes in both the track and surrounding roads.

In total, 32 medal events are taking place between September 5 and September 8. Maclean, 40, who won silver in the team sprint at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney before switching to Paralympic cycling as a ‘pilot’ rider, added: "I’ve got no idea what to expect but the Paralympics should be one of the best yet.

"Quite often it feels like an afterthought and doesn’t get the coverage it deserves but things are going to be different this year."