Bex Rimmington Blog

The Melton sportswoman and visually impaired tandem partner Lora Turnham powered Great Britain to a place on the podium at the World Para-cycling Championships in Bogogno in northern Italy.

They did superbly to overcome the disappointment of finishing ninth in Friday's time trial to cross the line third in Saturday's 70-mile road race around the foothills of the Alps.

For Bex (26) it was the highlight of her cycling career to date and a stepping stone on the way to her dream of competing at London 2012 in the Paralympics.

She said: "We wanted a medal so badly. Our coach said we could medal and we always had that belief, but on the day it was all about experience. The next aim is to win the rainbow jersey as champions."

Bex's form has already earned her a place on the new British Paralympic Development Programme, but she hopes a good performance at the world track championships in November will elevate them on to the podium programme.

"This would allow her to chalk off another ambition of full-time cycling at the National Velodrome in Manchester.

The weekend did not start well for Bex who had to watch British team-mates Ellen Hunter, a double Paralympic medallist and Aileen McGlynn take the silver in the time trial.

But Bex's competitive spirit and the pair's strong climbing saw them achieve the desired podium position.

She added: "The time trial did not go according to plan unfortunately, but we got back on the bike for the road race and did what we do best - work well together.

"The plan was to work for Ellen and Aileen in the road race, but we were a lot stronger in the hills and Ellen gave us the nod to go for the win."

The one-in-ten 2km climb, which riders had to tackle over eight laps, split the field and put Bex and Lora in a good position.

Having successfully avoided a crash, the British pair caught the leading group, but the American and German pairs broke away on the descent, leaving Bex and Lora to settle for bronze.