Greats go behind the scenes of this year’s Handcycle Classic

 
On the start line: Josh Boggi and Steve Arnold are all set for Sunday’s big event
8 August 2014

Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, two of the greats of British cycling, have been playing a behind-the-scenes role in the Handcycle Classic, another part of the Prudential RideLondon weekend.

The race will see 30 of the world’s top handcyclists converge on Kingston upon Thames for the Sunday start, heading into the centre of London on a 15-mile route through the capital.

Among the entrants is former army corporal Josh Boggi, who has trained with Wiggins and Team Sky in Majorca this year and also rode with Cavendish at the Help for Heroes Hero Ride.

“I have only been cycling for a year, but I have already learned so much and been lucky to do some amazing things,” he said. “Bradley Wiggins invited me out to Majorca when I met him at The Military Awards in December so I went out there and trained with the Team Sky boys, which was great.

“It was great to meet Mark Cavendish and chat to him as well.”

Boggi lost both his legs and his right arm on New Year’s Day 2010 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device two months into his third tour of Afghanistan.

Joining him on Sunday will be Steve Arnold, a former staff sergeant who lost both his legs in similar circumstances in Afghanistan in May 2011.

Eighth among the handcyclists competing in the Grand Prix last year, Arnold sees this event as a stepping stone towards his long-term goal of competing at the Paralympics.

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