Annaliisa Leads the Way in Cycling Success

Hi, my name is Annaliisa Farrell, I’ve been cycling for approximately 15-16 years.  In this time I have won numerous medals and titles on both the road and on the track here in NZ and in Australia and placed in races as well.  In 2007 I had the great pleasure in teaming up with Jayne Parsons who is a blind cyclist from Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast.  Together we rode our way into the New Zealand team to participate in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics where we got a Bronze medal in the 25km Road Time Trial on a tandem.  I was the Pilot/Captain (front) and Jayne the stoker.

Our journey started in early October 2007 when we got onto a tandem for only the second time together (the first time was in Sydney in February the same year just for fun), we gelled straight away.  In November 2007 we went to Cali, Columbia and participated in the Pan American Games, we’d only been together for 4 weeks and in our racing we got two 4ths (Road Race and Road Time Trial) and a Silver in the 3000m Pursuit on the track.  From there we were constantly placing in the top three in all of our competitions both here in NZ and overseas.  

In Beijing we placed 5th in the Kilo Time Trial (track), 4th in the 3000m pursuit (track) 8th in the Road Race (got pushed into a fence) and the Bronze in the 25km Road Time Trial.

Jayne and I no longer ride together as I have retired from the tandem riding (it was a massive commitment) but I still compete in the individual racing on the road and I’m just getting back into the mountain biking again.  I miss the tandem and Jayne very much, we have a special bond and the time together was amazing.

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