Jody Cundy has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Health Sciences Degree from Anglia Ruskin University on Tuesday night at a ceremony held at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge.

He received his Honorary Degree from Anglia Ruskin’s Vice Chancellor Professor Michael Thorne, alongside students from the Faculty of Science and Technology.

Professor Thorne said: “Jody is a Paralympic and world swimming and cycling champion, one of a very select group of elite athletes to win gold medals in two different sports. He is an inspiration to anyone seeking to overcome adversity.”

The national championships in 2012 were a bit of a strange one for me, but one in which I had quite a lot of fun. Having last raced my bike at the Paralympics, where I won bronze in the 4km pursuit on September 1st, I’d only been on my bike a handful of times by the time the Nationals came round.

Day 2 – Open 1km Time Trial

First up was the 1km Time Trial, my main event. With only a few training sessions under my belt I knew it was going to be a tough race, however I still wanted to perform well. I actually chose to experiment with a few things looking to the future. Once the race got underway it was clear this was going to be one of the longest kilos I’d ridden! As I came into the final lap I was just struggling to keep the pedals turning as the lactic acid kicked in. I crossed the line in 1:06.756, not my best time by a long way. After the emotional rollercoaster that was the 1km in the Paralympics to be honest it was just nice to finish the kilo! Although the time wasn’t great it helped close the door on the kilometre this year, and now I can look ahead and prepare for Rio.

Day 3 – Open Keirin

Ah the Keirin, a race I’ve only competing in a number of times, but one I enjoy because unlike the Paralympics I get to race multiple riders on track at the same time, and get my teeth stuck into racing!

The 1^st round draw was probably the toughest of the 3 heats and also had 7 riders compared to the previous heats which had 5 and 6. Things were going well as I was sat nicely on Pete Mitchell’s wheel as he started to make his move, then as I came round the outside on of the riders twitched in turn 2 on the last lap, almost chopping my nose off. I took avoiding action, but by the time I got back online the field had too big a gap, so I sat up saving energy for the repecharge.

In the repecharge, I rode a strong race, although it was only good enough to take 4^th place so that was my Keirin over, or so I thought.  In front of me during the race the same rider from the previous heat had twitched in exactly the same place as he twitched in the first heat, this time he was relegated for the move which then promoted me to 3^rd, and in turn qualified me for the Semi Finals.

In the Semi Finals, I made a strike for home early, actually too early considering the quality of field I was racing. The attack worked well until the final bend where the field swamped me up and I faded in the home straight.

One more race to go in the minor final for 7^th-12^th place I found myself on Pete Mitchells wheel again as he worked his way to the front, once again a twitch from another rider forced me to change my path, but this time I was still with the group, in the last bend I managed to dive under the fading riders in front of me, and came across the line in 4^th place, which gave me a 10^th place finish overall.

Day 4- Open Sprint

Following on from the previous days Keirin, I was looking forward to racing in the sprint, especially as my form had got better during the day, as my racing cobwebs got blown away!

Qualifying first, and something I was looking forward to, especially considering some of the times I’d done in training prior to the Paralympics. Alas that kind of form wasn’t with me, not helped by my error of judgement in gearing (I went too big!) I crossed the line in 10.972, a little disappointing, but hopefully I could put in some good sprinting during the head to heads. I qualified in 12^th, but with Kian Emadi pulling out due to illness I was promoted to 11^th and would be racing the 2^nd fastest qualifier Lewis Oliva, in the 1^st round knockout. I had a plan to use my jump and fact  I was on a smaller gear to overhaul Lewis, however as we rode round I made a massive tactical error and basically raised the pace, all the time playing into Lewis’s favour. As we came into the final straight I just didn’t have enough and Lewis took a relatively easy win.

Into the repecharge for me once again, the repecharge was a 3up match, which are always tough to judge as you’re not just watching 1 rider to make the move. With my 2 competitiors busy watching each other I spotted a perfect opportunity to move however it was going to be a big effort as it was almost 2laps out. I dropped in from the top of the track and down to the black line and just went full gas. I got quite a lead and felt like it was the winning move, but as I came into the final banking my legs tired from the previous 2 days racing began to tie up, and Bruce Croall came over the top to take the victory. I finished just after him, putting me out of the competition, as it was only the winner to go through.

I thought this was the end of my nationals, but late that evening I got a call up to come back the following morning to do the team sprint in place of the still ill Kian Emadi. I jumped at the chance.

Day 5 – Open Team Sprint

The day of the team sprint was always going to be a tough day of competition, not least because of the previous 3 days of racing, and I was going to be teamed with Matt Crampton and Craig MacLean, riders with a lot of team sprint experience at the very highest levels, on top of this I was going to be riding man 3. Just getting on the wheel was going to be a challenge!

Having never done any starts alongside the likes of Craig and Matt I didn’t know what to expect as on paper they’re nearly 1second quicker over a standing lap! So when we got called for a false start in the first round, I was understandable nervous as we lined up on the track again. Matt was man 1 and Craig 2, as the start sounded I tried to use the downhill of the track as much as possible as I rode in formation. However coming out of turn 2 they’re acceleration was nothing like I’ve experienced before and I could sense them getting away, this was going to be a long 3 laps! As Matt peeled off for the first lap I felt I was getting onto Craig down the back straight, but I simply wasn’t he was just out there, as Craig finished his lap I tried to keep the speed up, but I just felt like I was getting slower and slower! I crossed the line in 46.300, enough to qualify us 3^rd fastest.

Looking back at the race I knew I needed to go on a bigger gear to give me a chance of getting on, but I knew this meant also having to work even harder on the start because of the bigger gear. With a little advice from Jan van Ejiden, I was set for the 2^nd round.

This time Craig was in man 1 and Matt in 2, I made a much better start this time, working hard to get onto the wheel of Matt, but once again they’re acceleration in turn 2 was huge, but this time the gap wasn’t as big, and as Craig finished his lap I was chasing Matt hard, and coming onto the back straight I finally got onto the wheel of Matt. What a relief, and how much difference that made, I now had half a lap to get a breather before I’d be on my own again. I finished my lap in much better condition and the time was a massive improvement as we clocked 45.899, the fastest team sprint I’d been involved in by a long way! Once again it was good enough for 3^rd position, and we’d be in the Bronze medal ride off again VC St. Raphael.

In the final the previous days racing and the 2 very hard man 3’s took there toll on me. Once again Craig and Matt gapped me on the back straight of the 1^st lap, and I never got on again, but I kept going flat out in the hope of getting some slipstream. I crossed the line in 46.566 which was still good enough for bronze, but I was completely spent.

It was a fantastic experience racing with Matt and Craig, and has certainly given me a few things to work on when I get back to training. But pretty happy to win a bronze medal at the national champs.

If there was anyone who doubted that Paralympic sport is not as brutal and exciting as its Olympic counterpart then Jody’s extraordinary and well documented five minutes in the Velodrome during this years Paralympic Games must have altered their views.

Jody was seeking his sixth Paralympic gold medal in his fifth Games at London 2012 and was the strong favourite for Gold in the C4/5 1km time trial when an alleged gate malfunction led to his disqualification. He demonstrated the spirit of the Paralympic Games and bounced back to win Bronze in the individual pursuit.

We are pleased to announce that Jody will be attending the sixth annual BBC Radio Norfolk Active Norfolk Sports Awards 2012 where the cream of sporting achievement and service will again be honoured.

Jody said, “From the British success in the Tour de France to the highs of Olympic and Paralympic games, 2012 has simply been an amazing sporting year. All of the success we’ve had this year wouldn’t be possible without recognising the huge part the clubs, coaches, volunteers and sporting organisations play in building the foundations for our elite athletes. These awards each year highlight and thank the people who play their part in our rich sporting nation and I look forward to attending the awards this year.”

Laurie Hull, Director of Active Norfolk said: “What a year it has been – amazing venues, fantastic sporting endeavour and outstanding results from Team GB. Now it’s our chance to acknowledge the best in Norfolk at our grandest Sports Awards yet, in the presence of some of the nations finest”.

You can still nominate your sporting heroes online at www.activenorfolk.org/sportsawards 

Role models and charities from across the UK were honoured for their hard work and commitment to equality and diversity at Britain’s largest diversity awards ceremony on Friday 21st September at The Midland Hotel in Manchester.

The night was a glittering success with appearances from Paralympic heroes Jody Cundy and Claire Harvey, the stars of ‘My Transsexual Summer’, CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell and BBC journalist Amal Fashanu who presented the positive role model award for gender.

As a patron of the awards Jody presented the positive role model award for disability to 17 year old Liam Mackin, a deafblind student from Worchester, for his role in raising an estimated £150,000 for charity. Jody, who had to re enter the stage after a technical fault joked ‘that was the restart I should have got at the Paralympics’ to which the audience applauded.

After generating so much interest and support in its first year, the awards are sure to go from strength to strength with next year’s event being held in Leeds.

Nominations for next year’s event open in January, for the full list of award winners visit www.nationaldiversityawards.co.uk

Jody Cundy smashed his Columbian rival in the C4 4km Individual Pursuit to win his first medal at a Paralympic home games!

He took just 5 laps out of 16 to chase down Diego German Duenas Gomez and secure a bronze. The double Beijing gold medallist was on a mission to claim his medal as he overlapped his opponent and punched the air in victory as the gun sounded to signal the end of the final.

Incredibly, he rode the first four laps of the Pursuit in 1:05.317; which, had he been allowed to ride the Kilo yesterday, would have won him gold. This only proves that Jody has unbelievable form and is performing at the top of his game.

Speaking after the race, Jody spoke of his gratitude for the home support: “I was starting to panic because my legs were completely gone after four and a half laps, but I couldn’t let the crowd down and they carried me home”

“The support here has been more incredible than anything I’ve experienced before! It really has been amazing, thank you to everyone for cheering me on”

“I’m fully committed to Rio in 2016 as I still have unfinished business.”

- Holly Thrower

Jody has been denied the chance to defend his Paralympic 1km Time Trial title after officials decided not to allow a restart following what appeared to be a fault with the gate.

Jody went of last and as he attempted to pull away from the gate, his back wheel didn’t release on time and it slipped, bringing Jody to hold up his hand and ask for a restart.

It was an agonizing wait whilst his coach Chris Furber and ParalympicsGB staff discussed the issue with the commissaires, as the velodrome was filled with the roaring objections and boos of the crowd.

Despite protests from Jody and his Great Britain coaches, the commissaires concluded that the starting issue was not due to faulty equipment  but was deemed ‘rider error’,  meaning that sadly he would not be allowed a restart and was not able to defend his 1km Time Trial title.

Jody initially reacted very emotionally, but after taking some time to comprehend the official’s decision, he came out to the 6,000 strong crowd and explained: “I would just like to apologise; I had an issue with the gate and my wheel slipped”

“I was hoping for a restart but it didn’t go my way unfortunately, and I didn’t get to ride and show you exactly what those 4 years of hard work in training have been about”

“I would like to apologise for my language, I think even over the noise you might have been able to hear it” he explained, to which fans could be heard shouting for him not to apologise for his earlier outburst.

Given Jody’s unquestionable determination to succeed, he will be sure to not allow today’s events to deter him from putting all his efforts into the 4km Pursuit tomorrow, where he will get the opportunity to show his fans exactly what he has been training for.

As Jody and the rest of the Para-cycling team were unable to attend the Opening Ceremony last night due to the cycling events starting today, they wanted to share a little video with their fans to say “Hello!”

Jody & Mark Colbourne shot, directed and edited the “Hello!” video as a thank you for the overwhelming support they have received from the British public, and it was a fantastic opportunity for the whole team to get together and capture some moments from their time in the holding camp and athletes village.

Jody said: “Making the video was fun; we wanted to get together as a team and show we have personalities outside our day job, but also show some of our preparations we went through in Newport. In doing so we hopefully put a smile on people’s faces.”

Please see the link below to view the video on YouTube and please feel free to share if you enjoy it!

After the thrill of the opening ceremony last night, Jody is more excited and focussed than ever at the prospect of achieving his Paralympic dreams. Jody’s first event will be the 1km Time Trial on Friday and he’s eager to jump on the velodrome boards.

“I’m in great form at the moment and I can’t wait to get out there and race in front of a home crowd! The support has been incredible so far and I think London 2012 will provide an opportunity for the public to really appreciate Paralympic sport, as we train just as hard and put just as much effort in as the Olympic team. It’s fantastic to see everyone really getting behind ParalympicsGB, it really means a lot.”

The decision to attend the London 2012 Paralympic opening ceremony is made by both the athletes and their coaches depending upon their racing schedule. “Of course it would be great to attend, but I’ve not been to an opening ceremony since I have joined the cycling team, as it’s also important to prepare correctly for your competition and sometimes that means you miss out on things. That’s something we are used to as athletes.”

Jody’s Paralympic Games racing schedule is listed below:

31/08/12 – C4/C5 1km Time Trial Final

01/09/12 – C4 4km Pursuit Qualification in the morning and Final in the afternoon if qualified

(02/09/12 – C1-5 Mixed Team Sprint Qualification in the morning and Final in the afternoon if qualified. Please note that Jody is currently a reserve rider)

Five times Paralympic Champion Jody Cundy showed off his ‘new leg for London’ today (Wednesday) with a special patriotic design and the names of all the people who have helped him throughout his career, and a “medal board” incorporating the 10 cycling Gold medals won at World Championships and Paralympics games.

As Jody, 33, ‘unveiled’ his new prosthetic leg at Manchester Velodrome, he said: “I am really happy the way it has turned out, I think it looks pretty cool.”

Jody, who was born with a deformed foot, which was amputated when he was just three years old, has been working on the design with top designer Gary Forshaw, who works with Össur, the Icelandic company, which produced his new prosthetic leg as well as those for ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius, who is also competing in the Paralympics.

Delighted Jody said: “It’s a whole new leg for London. It’s a refinement of the leg I had in Beijing with new positioning and alignment and refined aerodynamics. I think the leg looks stunning and it is a thank you to everyone who has helped me on my journey to the Games, right from when I started competing up until now.”

The names of all those who have supported the five times Paralympics gold medalist are ‘ghosted’ into the design and on the back of the leg is a ‘medal board’ with ten medal images representing his gold medals in previous World Championships and Paralympics.

He added: “I love customising my leg. With so many restrictions on kit and other pieces of equipment it’s nice to have a bit of creative freedom and stand out from the crowd.”

Designer Gary said: “In the initial meetings we had to discuss the design Jody already had a fairly good idea of what he wanted, so from there it was just a case of getting those ideas on paper and then eventually onto the prosthesis. The aim was to create an eye-catching, iconic design, and to find a way to include all the names without distracting too much from the overall look – and hopefully we’ve managed to achieve that in the end. I think it looks great! “

Richard Hirons, lead prosthetist of Össur, said: “It happens to be a thing of beauty and I’m very satisfied with the result. “We’ve been very pleased at Össur to work with Jody and his coaching and support team on this collaborative project. We know that Jody will do his best when he’s called to the line, as he always does. In prosthetic terms we’ve been granted the opportunity to pay attention to details that often we’re not able to do. But whatever our contribution, it is Jody who has put in the hours and the effort that is the real headline. And for that, he has our support, admiration and best wishes.”