Irish para-cyclist Damien Vereker has described winning silver at the UCI Para-cycling World Cup Round 3 event in Italy as an achievement that is “still only sinking in” after an emotional and physically demanding weekend.

Vereker and pilot Mitchell McLaughlin claimed silver in the visually impaired tandem category following a remarkable performance in the 108-kilometre race, despite difficult circumstances leading into the event.

The race, which lasted over two hours and covered 11 laps of a demanding nine-kilometre circuit, came just days after the passing of Vereker’s mother-in-law, Anne.

Speaking on Sport Lárige, Vereker revealed he had considered returning home before the race, but said his wife Jennifer encouraged him to continue competing.

“My mother-in-law passed away on Friday night before the race,” he said. “I wanted to come home and not race, but Jenny told me to stay there and do it. She said Anne would have wanted me to race.”

The emotional toll was compounded by a crash during a warm-up lap just 30 minutes before the event began.

“We were out warming up, and the roads were wet and skiddy. I smashed onto the ground and badly cut my hand and hip. I was covered in road rash,” Vereker explained.

However, support staff from Cycling Ireland and Sport Ireland quickly helped him regroup mentally and physically before the start.

“They told me to reset and refocus. Mitch knew what to look out for on the road, and we just had to go out and do our best.”

Despite the setbacks, the Irish duo delivered an outstanding performance to secure silver against some of the world’s best para-cyclists.

Vereker paid tribute to McLaughlin, who acts as his pilot on the tandem bike, describing the trust between the pair as crucial.

“I trust Mitch completely,” he said. “He takes the responsibility of keeping me safe very seriously, both in training and racing.”

The pair have worked together since 2023 and have built a strong understanding both verbally and non-verbally while racing.

“There’s a lot of communication through the pedals and movement of the bike,” Vereker explained. “You learn instinctively what’s coming next just from spending time together on the tandem.”

The tandem bike requires both riders to work in perfect sync, with both athletes contributing equally to the effort and power output.

“There are two chains and two sets of pedals. Mitch does the same amount of physical work as I do,” he said.

The silver medal comes after a difficult period for Vereker, who suffered serious injuries in a crash at last year’s World Championships, including a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, and rib.

Since returning from injury, he says consistent gym work, training camps, and extra preparation have helped both riders improve significantly.

The duo travelled to Spain earlier this year for warm-weather training and also completed additional camps and race preparation in Donegal.

“We knew if everything went right for us on the day, we could compete with anyone,” Vereker said.

The achievement marks another major step forward for the Irish tandem pairing and could be a sign of bigger things to come on the international para-cycling stage.

“Hopefully this is just the start,” Vereker added. “It’s onwards and upwards for both of us.”

Sport on WLR is brought to you by Auto Boland Ford.

For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.