Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal are a devastating combination when they nail a race plan and they will be among the favourites to win the road race and the time-trial at the upcoming Paralympic Games in Brazil. They have been together three years now and have taken some major results, such as gold in the TT and road race at the World Cup this year.
By Brian Canty
One of Ireland’s best hopes of a medal at the upcoming Paralympics - from Sept 8th to 18th - is the tandem cycling partnership of Eve McCrystal and stoker Katie-George Dunleavy.
They’ve been together three years and have developed a real understanding of each other’s intricacies.
And it’s their bond, forged through hours on the road and the track, that has made them into two of the biggest prospects.
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Silver in the road race at the World Championships in 2014 was followed by a bronze at the World Cup in Italy a year later.
But gold on the road and in the time-trial at the World Cup this year has everyone sitting up and taking note.
Of course, the battles Dunleavy faces in Brazil aren’t near as serious as the hourly, daily, weekly and yearly challenges she faces to keep her her mind strong.
She has a condition known as retinitis pigmentosa. It’s extremely rare and it gets worse as time passes.
She was told by doctors she’d be fully blind by 30 years, something she’s often struggled to grasp. She had perfect vision until the age of 11 years.
“My peripheral vision is affected, I have less than 10 per cent visual field and my night vision is affected also,” she explained of the condition.
“As the deterioration continuous my detailed vision, colour vision and central vision will be affected.
“The rate of the deterioration varies and is generally very slow with changes occurring over years rather than months and this is the case with my eyesight.”
They are two superb students, Dunlevy and sighted-pilot McCrystal and have left no stone unturned in their quest for Paralympic glory. (Photo: Sean Rowe)
She has had to come to terms with the fact her eyesight could go completely at any moment; a truly grim prospect for anyone to consider.
“I’m lucky that until now it has slowly deteriorated but that isn’t to say it won’t change suddenly. I struggled at school and it was because I couldn’t see well.
“I could make this article read like it’s all roses but it’s not; it’s hard to cope at times," said the women going for gold with McCrystal in Rio.
"But you take every day at a time and there are plenty of people in the world who have it far worse than myself.
“Without my visual impairment I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I’ve had and I wouldn’t be riding on a tandem and riding for my country.
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“I have a lot to be thankful for. I always focus on my ability not my disability and what I can do, not what I can’t.”
There’s not an ounce of self-pity about Dunleavy when she has plenty reason to be angry with the world.
While she can “happily go about independently” there are times, like when her eyes become tired or the light changes quickly, that she needs assistance.
“People don't understand when I ask for help or when I struggle to do simple things," she says. “I get frustrated at times and I don't like asking for help but it's what I have to do.”
The Paralympics, in a way, have been her saviour as she’s been able to dedicate her life to something fun, sociable and meaningful.
She spends her days thinking of ways to be better. She doesn’t rest on her laurels.
She will only be proud of herself when she has gold around her neck and despite being born in the UK, she’s nailing her unwavering allegiance to the tricolour.
The pair have travelled all over the world together and had many great days. But one gets the sense the Paraympics are the ones they'd trade for any other medals.
“My dad is from Mountcharles, a small coastal village in south Donegal. He came over to England and met my mother and settled there.
“I spent every summer with my family, most of which are Irish and still live there. Ireland is my second home and I’m very proud to wear the green jersey.”
She comes from a rowing background and is actually a world champion in that from 2004, winning the mixed coxed fours.
But it was while doing a multi-sport camp that she came to the attention of Cycling Ireland technical director Brian Nugent.
“I hesitated initially as I'd never cycled at a high level but I soon came to realise this was a great opportunity," she said.
"And with the support of my family I made the move and haven't looked back since."
She rode the world championships in Denmark (2011) with sighted pilot Louise Moriarty and was soon hooked.
“The feeling of moving on a bike was like nothing else; the freedom, speed and thrill was out of this world and my competitiveness kicked in.
“I just wanted to beat all the other bikes and be as good - if not better than all the other stokers in the world and to stand on the podium.”
She’s done that on several occasions but after finishing outside the medals as a relative newcomer in London four years ago she’s back for more.
“I believe we can medal and that is what we are going for. However I would be happy knowing that I have done all I can and got the best out of myself on the day.”
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