Mayor Tommy Battle Announces Return of Paralympics Events to Huntsville

Mayor Tommy Battle announced the return of Paralympics cycling events to the Rocket City this April. 

Battle thanked the AC Hotel for hosting the event, noting the backdrop of Big Spring Park behind him. “Huntsville is becoming quite a destination for large sporting events, from gymnastics to swimming, to volleyball, basketball, soccer, and even cycling, and we welcome athletes here from all over the U.S.” 

In 2021 Huntsville hosted an event for Paralympic athletes, with nearly 100 para-cyclists traveling to Huntsville for their return to competitive racing. Some of those competitors went on to the Summer Paralympics Games in Tokyo. 

“We are excited to announce today that Huntsville will welcome back these athletes, and many more, this April as we host the next U.S. Paralympics Cycling Open,” Battle said. “It will be presented by Toyota April 8th, 9th, and 10th. And we’re proud to make this announcement in partnership with U.S. Paralympics Cycling to share the news with cycling fans all over the nation and all over the world…we can’t wait to have you here in the Rocket City.” 

Battle introduced Toyota Alabama president Jason Puckett, who stated that Toyota is the official worldwide partner of the International Olympics, the Paralympic Committee, and U.S. Paralympic Cycling, and a longstanding partner of the City of Huntsville and the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce. “It’s an honor for Toyota to present the U.S. Paracycling Open right here in Huntsville for the second year in a row. This is a wonderful opportunity for our community and our Toyota team members to show the world again how great Huntsville is,” Puckett stated. 

“At Toyota,” he continued, “we believe in a barrier-free world. We’re dedicated to helping people move across town, across the room, and through life. With our support of the IPC and U.S. Paralympic cycling, we’re able to showcase our commitment to society in a sustainable way through mobility. To reiterate that no matter the challenge, when we enable people to move, anything is possible.” 

Puckett added that volunteering with his wife at last year’s event was one of the high points of his career at Toyota. “To the athletes who are watching,” Puckett said, “I hope to have a loud Toyota cheering section for you this year.” 

Battle then introduced Dr. Patti Dare, Huntsville Site Executive from Raytheon Technologies. “At Raytheon Technologies, we are so excited to have this opportunity to participate with Toyota, the Chamber, and the community again,” she said. “Welcome to Huntsville again, we can’t wait to see you, and best of luck.”

Other community partners include the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Cummings Research Park, the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Huntsville Sports Commission, Downtown Huntsville Inc., and Phoenix Industries. 

Zoom participants in attendance included Ian Lawless, Director of U.S. Paralympic Cycling. “We are honored and thrilled to be back in Huntsville for our second year for the Paralympic Cycling Open,” Lawless said. Following the Huntsville event last year, the U.S. Paralympic team went on to complete the selection process in Europe before winning eight medals in Tokyo. 

Lawless expressed gratitude for Huntsville’s role in the process, adding that this will be the first Paralympic cycling event held in the U.S. following the last Paralympic Games. While this will be a similar event to the one held in 2021, there will be a few differences, including a new hand cycling relay event downtown on the night of Friday, April 8 at Big Spring Park. 

Lawless noted that the new event will be “kind of a showcase event” to demonstrate the athletes’ abilities. The event will continue at Cummings Research Park with a time trial on Saturday and a race on Sunday. 

Unlike the 2021 event, Lawless stated, the 2022 competition will be an international competition including over 100 athletes from a few different countries and sanctioned by the International Cycling Union, the world governing body for competitive cycling events including the Tour de France. “We’re honored to be back, really excited to be back in Huntsville for the opening of our 2022 season,” he said. 

U.S. Air Force veteran Ryan Pinney, one of last year’s competitors, also addressed the audience via Zoom. Pinney, who medically retired from the Air Force after being injured during a bicycle racing competition, is again competing as a hand cycler. Pinney described the Huntsville race course as really fast and technical and reported that his personal favorite parts of the course are McMillian Park and the double helix trail at HudsonAlpha. 

Battle described the event as great for families, with no tickets needed for attendance at any of the races. “There will also be a food truck fest downtown to coincide with it, so bring your family to cheer them on. The food trucks are a contest all of us can participate in,” he added. The Saturday and Sunday races will begin and end near the entrance to Columbia High School in Cummings Research Park.