The Paralympic competition program includes sprints, individual pursuits, the 1000m time trial, road races, and road time trials for both individuals and teams.
Road Paracycling made its Paralympic debut at New York/Stoke Mandeville 1984 and has been contested at every Games since. Track Paracycling entered the Paralympic program 12 years later at Atlanta 1996.
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.
There are five sport classes for hand cycling, two for tricycle, and five for bicycle, while the three sport classes for the tandem compete in one event. Athletes participate in National Championships, World Cups, and World Championships throughout the year.
Paracycling is part of the Paralympic program governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Previously managed by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the U.S. Paralympic Cycling program was officially transitioned to USA Cycling in 2025. Meet the U.S. Paracycling National Team here!
Team USA Total Cycling Medals by Games
2024 - Paris, France - 8 - 4 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze
2020 - Tokyo, Japan - 8 - 2 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze
2016 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 18 - 4 gold, 9 silver, 5 bronze
2012 - London, Great Britain - 17 - 6 gold, 5 silver, 6 bronze
2008 - Beijing, China - 14 - 5 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze
2004 - Athens, Greece - 9 - 2 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze
2000 - Sydney, Australia - 9 - 3 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze
1996 - Atlanta, United States - 13 - 2 gold, 5 silver, 6 bronze
1992 - Barcelona, Spain - 4 - 1 gold, 3 silver, 0 bronze
1988 - Seoul, South Korea - 3 - 0 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze
1984 - Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain/New York, United States - 2 - 0 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze
