BACK IN THE RACE

MICHAEL will return to competitive cycling when he competes in his first major cycling event since the Beijing Paralympic Games next month.

Milton, who had two top-ten finishes in Beijing 18 months ago has entered the 2010 Australian Para-Cycling Road Championships to be held on Queensland's Sunshine Coast 10-11 April.

The six-time Paralympian who staged an amazing comeback from cancer to be selected in the Australian team for China said he never really took a break off the bike.

"Beijing was a huge achievement for me and quite stressful. After that I really felt I needed a rest from hard training and high level competition and I just wanted to recover and spend some time at home with my family. I kept cycling though and rediscovered an old passion for mountain biking," said Milton.

Changes to the classification system for cycling also prompted Milton to return to racing. He will compete in a new C2 class which, he says, offers a more level playing field.

"I've been doing some really varied training on the bike, both on road and off, and I'm hoping that will work in my favour.

"I'm really looking forward to this event and to testing myself against the best in Australia. I want to find out if I still have what it takes. I love the challenge that road cycling offers - the physicality of it and the strategising. I just love to compete and to win," said Milton with a smile.