The opening day of the Lloyds National Track Championships at Manchester’s National Cycling Centre was a masterclass in tactical racing and raw power, with seven national titles decided in a packed Friday session.
Here is how the action unfolded:
Morris Defends, Tanfield Topples the Champ
Anna Morris successfully defended her Women’s Scratch Race title after a high-stakes tactical battle. Morris remained patient within a congested pack until the final five laps, when she countered an attack by Josie Knight. While Knight eventually faded, Morris powered through the final stretch to secure gold. Jenny Holl surged late to take silver, while 17-year-old Phoebe Taylor rounded out the podium with bronze.
In the Men’s Individual Pursuit, Charlie Tanfield delivered the performance of the day. In a head-to-head against reigning world champion Josh Charlton, Tanfield turned a razor-thin lead at the 1km mark into a dominant victory. He finished in 4:04.010—more than four seconds ahead of Charlton. Leon Atkins secured the bronze, defeating Michael Gill with a time of 4:10.846.
History in the Women’s C Elimination
The championships saw a historic debut for the Women’s C Elimination race. Crystal Lane-Wright (C5) and Elisabeth Simpson (C2) became the first-ever gold medalists in this event.
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Simpson outperformed Amelia Cass to take the C2 honors.
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Lane-Wright, competing in her first national championship since becoming a mother, survived a near-elimination early on before powering away to win the C5 title ahead of Morgan Newberry.
Dominance in the Team & Para Scratch Races
The playfully named “Jean Claude Tan Damme” squad—comprising James Ball, Matt Rotherham, Sophie Unwin, and Jenny Holl—lived up to their billing in the Mixed B Team Sprint. They dominated the final with a time of 50.760, finishing nearly two seconds clear of their closest rivals.
In the Men’s C1-5 Scratch Race, Archie Atkinson (C4-5) and Fin Graham (C1-3) proved why they are global forces. After 40 laps of trading attacks, Atkinson unleashed a perfectly timed sprint at the bell to take the overall win and the C4-5 title. Graham, finishing third across the line, secured the gold for the C1-3 category.
Sprint Qualifiers: Setting the Pace
The speedsters took to the boards for qualifying rounds, signaling a fast weekend ahead:
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Men’s 200m Sprint: Matt Richardson set a blistering pace of 9.192 seconds to top the standings.
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Women’s Team Sprint: Team Inspire A (Parris-Smith, Thomas, and world champion Emma Finucane) clocked a 47.077, leading the field by a significant 1.5-second margin heading into the finals.
Men’s C1-3 Scratch
Gold – Fin Graham
Silver – Charlie Stanton Stock
Bronze – Matthew Robertson
Women’s Scratch
Gold – Anna Morris
Silver – Jenny Holl
Bronze – Phoebe Taylor
Mixed Team B Sprint
Gold – Jean Claude Tan-Damme
Silver – Freddie Said Go
Men’s C4-5 Scratch
Gold – Archie Atkinson
Silver – Will Bjergfelt
Bronze – Xavier Disley
Men’s Individual Pursuit
Gold – Charlie Tanfield
Silver – Josh Charlton
Bronze – Leon Atkins
Women’s C5 Elimination
Gold – Crystal Lane-Wright
Silver – Morgan Newberry
Bronze – Elsie Hughes
Women’s C2 Elimination
Gold – Elisabeth Simpson
Silver – Amelia Cass
