By Aiden Cale
In the midst of all the rider and team changes that the off-season usually treats us too, a rider has flown under the radar and has announced his plans of racing in the C7 Solo category at the City of Mount Gambier 8 Hour in the first round of the 2023 UniSA Australian HPV Super Series.
The C7 Solo category is a subcategory within C7 Open and is where a trike can only be ridden by a singular rider in an event. The rider competing can pull into the pits as many times as they please, although rider changes throughout the race are prohibited.
21 year old Nelson Harris will be the first entrant into this category for 2023, racing in the number 244 trike for Old Concordians Racing, which will be named Raptor (Pictured above).
When asked about why he chose McNamara Park, Harris said, “We only had 9 riders for Mount Gambier, as a joke my dad said why don’t you do a solo attempt and then the other trike will have 8 riders which is perfect.
“A few days passed and I actually started to think about it. I was speaking to Kyle [Lierich] and we figured out with the time I had left to train that it was possible. I also knew that no one had ever done it before [at McNamara Park], and it would be really cool to be the person to do it.”
The inspiration as to why people enter the C7 Solo category varies, with Harris’ inspiration stemming from an endurance runner and his personal coach.
“My inspiration for this solo ride mainly came from a guy named Nedd Brockman who ran across Australia to raise money for the homeless. That really inspired me to push myself harder and really find out what I could achieve.
“Another inspiration for this ride has also been my coach Kyle [Lierich]. Some of his solo records he has set in a trike are incredible and that made me really think about what the human body can do.”
Harris began training seriously for HPV racing at the end of September last year, which has led to a painful few months in preparation for the 8 hour event.
“The lead up to this event has been a huge rollercoaster of emotions and physically punishing myself. There have been so many ups and downs, and it even got to the point where I was thinking about pulling out, but I was so happy I didn’t.”
Although the focus is usually directed towards the top end of the timing sheets, make sure to keep an eye out for the number 244 trike of Nelson Harris, as he embarks on the toughest challenge one can do in Australian HPV racing. The completion of an event as an individual.
The City of Mount Gambier 8 Hour will be the first round of the 2023 UniSA Australian HPV Super Series on Saturday, April 1 from 9am to 5pm (ACDT).
