Anna Magrath, Author at CyclingShorts.cc

Tour Series – Pro-Noctis and WIV Sungod Conquer in Manchester

by Anna Magrath | May 25, 2022

Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen and Wiv SunGod were crowned Sportsbreaks.com Tour Series champions in Manchester city centre on Tuesday night after three weeks of competition.

For Wiv SunGod it was a third series title, having claimed the honours in 2018 and 2019, while for the Pro-Noctis team of British circuit race champion Jo Tindley it was a first crown, having been narrowly denied in the final event in 2021.

Second place on the night behind Team Boompods ensured the inaugural title for Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen, a comfortable victory having finished in the top two positions at all seven rounds and held the lead from round one in Guisborough.

Champions Pro-Noctis on Deansgate after winning the title (SWpix)

“Morale has been really high throughout. We worked really well together and have analysed and talked about each round afterwards and how we can improve as a team. I think that’s what’s made us stronger each round, and we finished on a high today.

“I’m not sure having the jerseys all series added to the pressure. I think it added to the enjoyment and the excitement of the whole thing.”

Bexy Drew

Rider on Series Winning Team, Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen

Wiv SunGod, who also have led the series since the opening event, sealed their title in style with Matt Bostock winning his second round of 2022 by 11.5 seconds at the head of a team 1-2-3.

Stockport-based Bostock broke away mid-race, countering after team-mate Ollie Wood’s solo move had been captured, helping seal the Freewheel.co.uk Sprints competition.

Matt Bostock takes the win in Manchester (SWpix)

“It was the perfect way to finish, it doesn’t get much better than winning solo as well”

“I think as a team we just ripped it up, couldn’t have been any better.

“The atmosphere was amazing, I wish I’d taken it in a bit more, but I was seeing double and my legs were screaming. It was a bit of a blur but the noise and the crowd was just mega.”

“The individual results don’t matter as much,”

“Because the team prize is the main thing. But it’s really good to get your hands in the air and I think we’ve won maybe four rounds out of the seven, so it couldn’t be much better.

“It speaks volumes that we’ve had three different winners, and we’ve basically shared them out so that says a lot about how strong of a team we’ve got. It’s almost a shame we couldn’t give everyone a win, because I think everyone’s deserved one. I don’t think we’ve had one bad night.”

Matt Bostock

Winner of Final Stage, Wiv SunGod

At the finish, behind Bostock, Wood and then Matt Gibson led in a 10-rider group, with Harry and Charlie Tanfield in fourth and fifth for Ribble Weldtite, who finished as runners up, four points back from Wiv SunGod, with Wales Racing Academy in third overall.

In the women’s race there was a second win of the series for 17-year-old Emma Jeffers (Jadan – Vive Le Velo), who sprinted home on Deansgate ahead of Sammie Stuart (Team LDN – Brother UK) and Lucy Harris (Team Boompods).

Stuart led through the final corner but on the 150-metre run to the line Jeffers came past to cross the line arms aloft and also take the fastest lap.

Having taken the overall Sportsbreaks.com Tour Series title with her Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen team, Tindley also added the Freewheel.co.uk Sprints competition, defending a jersey that she also took in 2021.

“This is the one I was aiming for, and I managed to pull it off,”

“Pro-Noctis had three girls in the front, and then a Boompods girl attacked. Then Sammie [Stuart] counter attacked coming into the second to last corner. I just held onto Sammie’s wheel and managed to get around her on that last straight and hold it.”

Emma Jeffers

Winner of final Stage, Jadan – Vive Le Velo

Click here to view the Women’s race gallery.

Highlights of the Grand Final of the Sportsbreaks.com Tour Series from Manchester will be broadcast on ITV4 at 7pm on Wednesday 25 May and available on demand via the ITV Hub for 30 days.

Final Results

Grand Final Manchester – Women’s team result

1) Team Boompods, 10pts
2) Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen, 9pts
3) Alba Development Road Team, 8pts
4) Torelli – Cayman Islands – Scimitar, 7pts
5) Team Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus, 6pts

Women’s individual result

1) Emma Jeffers, GBR, Jadan – Vive le Velo, 1:08:01.289
2) Sammie Stuart, GBR, Team Brother UK – LDN, +0.134
3) Lucy Harris, GBR, Team Boompods, +0.691
4) Jo Tindley, GBR, Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen, +0.891
5) Kate Richardson, GBR, Alba Development Road Team, +1.531

Brother UK Fastest Lap

Emma Jeffers, GBR, Jadan – Vive le Velo, 1:20,941

Freewheel.co.uk sprints competition

Jo Tindley, GBR, Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen, 90pts

Women’s team standings after round one

1) Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen, 66pts
2) Team Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus, 49pts
3) Team Boompods, 49pts
4) Alba Development Road Team, 38pts
5) Jadan – Vive Le Velo, 36pts

Click here for full results.

Grand Final Manchester – Men’s team result

1) Wiv SunGod, 10pts
2) Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling, 9pts
3) Saint Piran, 8pts
4) Wales Racing Academy, 7pts
5) Embark – Bikestrong, 6pts

Men’s individual result

1) Matt Bostock, GBR, Wiv SunGod, 1:07:27.756
2) Ollie Wood, GBR, Wiv SunGod, +11.499
3) Matthew Gibson, GBR, Wiv SunGod, +11.774
4) Harry Tanfield, GBR, Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling, +11.856
5) Charlie Tanfield, GBR, Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling, +12.233

Brother UK Fastest Lap

Ollie Wood, GBR, Wiv SunGod, 1:15.879

Freewheel.co.uk sprints competition

Matt Bostock, GBR, Wiv SunGod, 101pts

Men’s team standings after round one

1) Wiv SunGod, 66pts
2) Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling, 62pts
3) Wales Racing Academy, 50pts
4) Saint Piran, 48pts
5) Team Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus, 35pts

Click here for full results.

All images ©CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

Chris Maher

Photographer & Writer

Based in the North East of England; photographer Chris Maher specialises in sports photography with his main interests in Cycling and Super Bikes. Chris has covered sports events from local and national level right up to the Olympics.

Chris is a member of the SJA.
Website: www.ChrisMaher.co.uk

Anna Mgrath

Editor & Founder

Anna Magrath founded CyclingShorts.cc in 2008 and invited some of her cycling friends; coaches, photographers, writers and pro cyclists of different disciplines to join her, bringing you all things cycling related. She has a passion for track and road cycling.

Over the years Anna has supported grass roots cycling events, riders and teams, all the way up to reporting from the top cycle races on the world calendar including; the Tour de France, Olympics, World Cups & World Championships.

Anna is a BAJ & SJA accredited journalist and has a background in Film & Television, and award winning Designer and Art Director, working for BBC, CH4, and many others.

Anna is a member of A©ID

Want to get involved? Why not get in touch.

Cycling Shorts.cc are official sponsors of The Racing Chance Foundation, Team Jadan and cyclists Amy Gornall & Fraser Martin.

Wiv Sungod and Pro – Noctis Dominate Opening Round in Guisborough

by Anna Magrath | May 2, 2022

Last year’s overall runners-up Wiv SunGod and Pro – Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen dominated the opening round of the Sportsbreaks.com Tour Series in Guisborough on Sunday.

After a disastrous start to the series here in 2021, the first men’s race of this year’s event couldn’t have gone any better for Wiv SunGod, as Thomas Mein and Matthew Bostock broke clear on lap one and almost lapped the entire field.

Mein, the reigning British cyclo-cross champion, took his first individual series win ahead of Bostock after the pair delivered an unforgettable victory salute. Impressively, only 0.001s separated the duo across the line, making it the closest-ever finish in series history.

Behind, Matthew Gibson placed fifth in the rain-affected race to seal the team win for Tim Elverson’s squad.

Wales Racing Academy impressed en route to finishing second on the day, ahead of TEKKERZ, TRINITY Racing and Saint Piran.

Although local rider Harry Tanfield led the peloton home in third respectively, defending men’s champions Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling only finished sixth in the team result.

We went on the first lap and just kept on going,” said Mein. “It was pretty much game over for everyone else when we got away, so that’s a bit of a dream scenario.

Getting away with team-mates doesn’t happen often, so you’ve just got to make the most of those chances.

It couldn’t have gone any better to be honest, so now we’ve got to carry on doing that for the rest of the series.

Thomas Mein

Stage 1 Winner, Wiv SunGod

Pro – Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen also produced a fine start in Guisborough as British circuit race champion Jo Tindley and Lucy Ellmore finished second and third in the women’s race.

Tindley and eventual individual winner Sophie Lewis (CAMS – Basso) also broke away in the early laps, before Ellmore produced a fine effort to bridge across to the leaders.

Despite leading out the sprint, Tindley could only place second here for the second year running, as promising track talent Lewis pipped her to the line. Behind, Sammie Stuart (Team Brother UK – LDN) broke away from the peloton to finish fourth.

Corinne Side was Pro – Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen’s third-ranked finisher in 12th as Rick Lister’s team started strongly in the series once again.

CAMS – Basso finished second on the day to leave Guisborough with just a one-point deficit in the overall standings, with Team Boompods taking third.

The first round is always the one that you never really know how it’s going to go,” said Tindley. “You’ve done all this training but you don’t know how everyone else is going and so much could happen within one race. So, it’s really good to get the first one out of the way, we just work for the rest of them really.

It’s a new circuit for round two [in Guisborough], so I think we will be defending more than anything, and just seeing how it goes. We’ll try to keep an eye on things!

Jo Tindley

Stage 1 - 2nd place, Pro – Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen

It’s given me a lot of confidence [going into the next few races],” said Lewis. “It’s nice that we’re in a good place for the rest of the series.

It was a really good race and I’m really pleased with how it went. I knew that last year about five riders went clear pretty early on, so I knew I had to be up there right from the start. I did feel a bit out numbered but I did what I needed to do.

Sophie Lewis

Stage 1 - Winner, CAMS – Basso

For full results please click here.

Highlights of the Guisborough event will be broadcast on ITV4 at 7pm on Tuesday 3 May. Racing resumes on Wednesday 4 May with round two from Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.

A full afternoon of community activities will be followed by the men’s race (5.30pm) and women’s race (7.30pm) with both events streamed live on the Tour’s YouTube channel – youtube.com/thetourcycling– with no geo-restrictions.

Sportsbreaks.com Tour Series 2022 schedule

Sportsbreaks.com Tour Series 2022 schedule

Round one | Guisborough | Monday 2 May

Round two | Galashiels | Wednesday 4 May

Round three | Sunderland | Tuesday 10 May

Round four | Stranraer | Thursday 12 May

Round five | Clacton-on-Sea | Thursday 19 May

Round six | Barking | Saturday 21 May
Grand Final | Manchester | Tuesday 24 May

About the Sportsbreaks.com Tour Series

About the Sportsbreaks.com Tour Series

The Sportsbreaks.com Tour Series is a fun, fast and free cycling event that takes place in town and city centres across the UK. In 2022 the series is sponsored by specialist sports travel operator Sportsbreaks.com and will be broadcast live – via YouTube – for the first time.

Launched in 2009, the series sees Britain’s best male and female riders compete against each other in a unique, team-based format as part of a full day of sporting and community-focused activities.

British sporting heroes Laura Kenny, Tom Pidcock, Dani Rowe, Joanna Rowsell, Ed Clancy, Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald have all competed in the series during its history, during which time nearly two million fans have watched a round.

All images ©CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

Chris Maher

Photographer & Writer

Anna Magrath

Editor & Writer

Over the years Anna has supported grass roots cycling events, riders and teams. Anna has a particular interest in Track, Road, womens cycling, recreational cycling and cycling related art. She has reported from the top cycle races on the world calendar including the Tour de France, Olympics, World Cups & World Championships.

Want to get involved? Why not get in touch.

CyclingShorts.cc are official sponsors of The Racing Chance Foundation, Team22 WRT, Team Jadan and cyclists Amy Gornall & Fraser Martin.

World’s Best Teams Confirmed For 2022 Women’s Tour

by Anna Magrath | Apr 12, 2022

WORLD’S BEST TEAMS CONFIRMED FOR 2022 WOMEN’S TOUR

All 14 of the world’s best teams will be in action at this year’s Women’s Tour (Monday 6 – Saturday 11 June), the UK’s most prestigious women’s cycle race, as part of an 18-team field announced today.

This year’s race, the first edition of the Women’s Tour to take place in its traditional June calendar position since 2019 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, will feature all of the top division UCI Women’s WorldTeams. In total, 108 riders will compete in the 2022 event, the biggest field in the eight-year history of the Women’s Tour.

Among those are Team SD Worx, the world’s number one team, and the squad of defending champion Demi Vollering. The Dutch team have also won more stages of the race – 11 – since the Women’s Tour’s inaugural edition in 2014.

The winning teams of the race’s other previous winners will also be competing: Trek – Segafredo (Lizzie Deignan, 2016 and 2019 champion), Team Jumbo – Visma (Marianne Vos, 2014 champion; Coryn Labecki, 2018 champion), Canyon//SRAM Racing (Kasia Niewiadoma, 2017 champion) and CERATIZIT – WNT Pro Cycling (Lisa Brennauer, 2015 winner).

This year’s race will also welcome three teams – Roland Cogeas Edelweiss (Switzerland), Team Jumbo – Visma (Netherlands) and Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Norway) – for the first time, while Human Powered Health will compete for the first time since 2015.

British interest comes in the form of Le Col – Wahoo and the Essex-based CAMS – Basso squad. The former will be competing in the Women’s Tour for the sixth time, while the latter will notably compete on home soil when the race’s opening stage begins in Colchester.

Completing the line-up is the return of Norwegian squad Team Coop – Hitec Products, whose roster includes former British road race champion Jess Roberts, and Josie Nelson, who impressed during her debut in the 2021 Women’s Tour.

The full list of teams competing in the 2022 Women’s Tour is:

CAMS – Basso (Great Britain)
Canyon//SRAM Racing (Germany)
CERATIZIT – WNT Pro Cycling (Germany)
EF Education – TIBCO – SVB (USA)
FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope (France)
Human Powered Health (USA)
Le Col – Wahoo (Great Britain)
Liv Racing Xstra (Netherlands)
Movistar Team (Spain)
Roland Cogeas Edelweiss (Switzerland)
Team BikeExchange – Jayco (Australia)
Team Coop – Hitec Products (Norway)
Team DSM (Germany)
Team Jumbo – Visma (Netherlands)
Team SD Worx (Netherlands)
Trek-Segafredo (USA)
UAE Team ADQ (UAE)
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Norway)

Entry into this year’s race means that Liv Racing Xstra, Team BikeExchange – Jayco and Team SD Worx remain Women’s Tour ever-presents since the inaugural edition of the event in 2014.

“We are once again thrilled by the line-up of the world’s best teams, alongside two British squads to excite the home crowd, will all be competing in this year’s Women’s Tour. We’re in for six exciting days of racing across England and Wales, and I know a lot of people are already counting down to Monday 6 June!”

Mick Bennett

Women’s Tour race director

Further details of the 2022 Women’s Tour – including stage routes and timetables; ŠKODA Queen of the Mountains and sprint locations; and competing riders – will be announced shortly.

Highlights of this year’s race will once again be shown on ITV4 in the UK, and around the world via Eurosport and GCN. Women’s Tour organisers SweetSpot continue to work on securing the funding required to broadcast the event live. Visit sweetspotgroup.co.uk/partnerships for more information.

About the 2022 Women’s Tour

Stages

Stage one Colchester to Bury St Edmunds Monday 6 June
Stage two To be announced Tuesday 7 June
Stage three Tewkesbury to Gloucester Wednesday 8 June
Stage four To be announced Thursday 9 June
Stage five Pembrey Country Park to Black Mountain Friday 10 June
Stage six Chipping Norton to Oxford Saturday 11 June

Competing teams

UCI Women’s World Teams: Canyon//SRAM Racing (Germany), EF Education – TIBCO – SVB (USA, FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope (France), Human Powered Health (USA), Liv Racing Xstra (Netherlands), Movistar Team (Spain), Roland Cogeas Edelweiss (Switzerland), Team BikeExchange – Jayco (Australia), Team DSM (Germany), Team Jumbo – Visma (Netherlands). Team SD Worx (Netherlands), Trek-Segafredo (USA), UAE Team ADQ (UAE), Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (Norway)

UCI Women’s Continental Teams: CAMS – Basso (Great Britain), CERATIZIT – WNT Pro Cycling (Germany), Le Col – Wahoo (Great Britain), Team Coop – Hitec Products (Norway)

About the Women’s Tour

Created by SweetSpot Group in 2014, the Women’s Tour is the UK’s first international stage race for women, bringing the world’s top riders to compete in Great Britain as a part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour.

The race, which has been won by the likes of Marianne Vos (2014), Lizzie Deignan (2016, 2019) and Demi Vollering (2021), attracts an annual roadside audience of 300,000, as well as over three million fans through linear and online platforms.

British National Track Championships – Red Dragons Steal The Show

by Anna Magrath | Mar 7, 2022

The Welsh pair of Ella Barnwell and Josh Tarling delighted the Newport crowd with emphatic victories at the British National Track Championships, as 13 more national champions were crowned on the penultimate day of competition.

Reigning champion Barnwell retained her Women’s Scratch Race title in a close-fought battle, edging out Anna Morris and last night’s Women’s Individual Pursuit champion Neah Evans.

After also winning her qualifier earlier in the day Carmarthenshire’s Barnwell showed great poise to hold off her rivals in the closing stages and secure a fourth senior national title.

“It feels like such an honour because you’ve got a Welsh crowd, so it’s like home winning the stripes here. It’s amazing really.

“My big aim is representing Wales at the Commonwealth Games, hopefully on the track, but it would be great to do road too – I’d like to go for the win for that.”

Ella Barnwell

Despite only turning 18 last month Joshua Tarling rode fearlessly throughout the 120 lap Points Race, building up an early lead by scoring points in the first five sprints. Charlie Tanfield briefly took the lead after lapping the field, but was then lapped himself to quickly restore Tarling to pole position.

In total Tarling scored in eight of the 10 sprints and took a lap on the field on his way to a winning total of 53 points, and try as they might the pair of Oscar Nilsson Julien (39 points) and John Archibald (38 points) found themselves unable to close the deficit.

“I knew it would be fast because there are quite a lot of people on really big gears and there are some big engines here. I was going to ride a little bit of a smaller gear and I just wanted to get the jump, so I thought I’d go early while I was fresh. Luckily I won two sprints and that gave me that lead, then I could sit on for a bit.

“When John went and I was on him, I knew he’s got such a big engine. I was parking it every time, but I just knew I had to stick with him.”

Joshua Tarling

Para-cycling events

Fin Graham made it two national champion’s jerseys in two days with a commanding victory in the Men’s C3 Pursuit, enjoying a victory margin of more than 20 seconds over Ben Hetherington and Henry Urand. This was Hetherington’s first para-cycling race on the track since a serious injury sustained competing in a club 10 time-trial in 2019, and his delight was clear for all to see.

In the C1-2 Matthew Robertson proved too strong for Ryan Taylor and Sam Ruddock to take the title, while in the C4 Martin Hailstone got the better of Nicholas Fairfield. Will Bjergfelt was the winner in the C5, with Blaine Hunt second and David Murphy third.

In the Women’s C1-3 Pursuit Daphne Schrager stormed to victory in a time of 4:05.004, with Amelia Cass second and Katie Toft third. In the C5 classification Morgan Newberry took the gold ahead of Emma Tod.

In the Para-cycling B Pursuit races Chris McDonald (piloted by Chris Latham) took the men’s competition convincingly, with Brad Gauntlett (piloted by Tim May) and Nadeem Mughal (piloted by Alex Cook) completing the podium. In the women’s event Sophie Unwin (piloted by Jenny Holl) set an impressive time of 3:28.828 in a non-national championship race.

Men’s events

Matt Rotherham won an entertaining Men’s 1,000m Time Trial competition, with less than a second between the three podium places. Rotherham set a blistering time of 1:01.008 to sit in pole position ahead of Harvey McNaughton (1:01.919) with just Jonny Wale left to ride.

While Rotherham waited nervously, defending champion Wale fell just under three tenths of a second slower to take the silver.

Team Inspired claimed the top four spots in the Men’s Sprint competition, with Jack Carlin adding a national title to the Olympic bronze he secured in the same event last summer, after beating teammate Joe Truman in straight legs in the final. The imperious Carlin qualified fastest and didn’t lose a single sprint all day en route to victory. In the battle for bronze Hamish Turnbull defeated Hayden Norris.

Women’s events

Ellie Stone was a surprise winner of the Women’s Keirin, riding brilliantly in the final to surge ahead of Emma Finucane and Sophie Capewell for a first senior national title.

Stone required the repechages to progress to the semi-final, where she finished third, behind Capewell and last night’s Women’s Sprint winner Rhian Edmunds, but caught the field off-guard in the final and victory never looked in doubt from then on.

In the Women’s Team Pursuit competition, the Brother UK-Orientation Marketing quartet of Ellen Bennett, Grace Lister, Holly Ramsey and Isabel Sharp caught their Liv CC – Halo Films opponents (Katie-Ann Calton, Ella Jamieson, Matilda McKibben and Awen Roberts) in 2:33.850.

Full results from day three can be found here, with more information on the rest of the weekend’s action here. You can also catch up on all of the action on YouTube here.

Chris Maher

Photographer & Writer

Anna Magrath

Editor & Writer

Want to get involved? Why not get in touch.

CyclingShorts.cc are official sponsors of The Racing Chance Foundation, Team22 WRT, Team Jadan and cyclists Amy Gornall & Fraser Martin.

British National Track Championships – National Record Broken

by Anna Magrath | Mar 5, 2022

Dan Bigham added a sixth national title to his growing collection with victory in the individual pursuit on day one of the British National Track Championships in Newport, after breaking the national record in qualifying earlier in the day.

Returning to the track after his British Hour Record success in October last year, he qualified fastest by more than three and a half seconds over the 4,000m, setting up a gold medal ride against friend and former team-mate Charlie Tanfield. Despite Tanfield shaving a second off his qualifying time, Bigham led throughout in the final to take a commanding victory.

“We’re all good mates and we’ve lived together on and off for the past five years. You want them to do well and I’m glad that they do – seeing Charlie back up that well and knocking out 4:07 is really impressive.

“I’m quite happy with how it’s panned out. Being able to focus on it meant that everything came together really nicely.

“My next race is the national time trial championships in June, and I might sneak in Lincoln. Off the back of that, Commonwealth Games, the Hour Record and world time-trial champs.”

Dan Bigham

Britsih Individual Pursuit Champion

Tokyo silver medallist Neah Evans qualified fastest in the women’s individual pursuit with a time of 3:29.083, setting up a gold medal final against Anna Morris, who qualified second just under a tenth of a second slower, in 3:29.175.

The bronze was taken by Kyle Gordon in 4:14.589, following victory over Michael Gill.

The first medal of the championships was awarded to Lora Fachie, piloted by Georgia Holt, as the pair began their new partnership in style with victory in the women’s tandem sprint in straight rounds. A gold medallist at the Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Games in the individual pursuit, this was a rare foray into the world of sprinting for Fachie, and the pair go again in the kilo on Sunday. Nia Holt and Amy Cole took the silver.

“I’m not known for my sprinting ability so yeah, it was good. It’s nice when you keep it a bit fresh and try new things.

“There’s always the buzz of winning, you know, that’s why we do it, and any race is the same. I think the day you don’t get a buzz is the day that it’s time to retire.”

Lora Fachie

Britsih Individual Pursuit Champion

Evans however still had more in the tank, and shaved off another half of a second to take the national title with a time of 3:28.470, having led Morris throughout. In the battle for bronze, Kate Richardson edged out Sophie Lankford with a time of 3:35.566.

Double Tokyo silver medallist Fin Graham won an entertaining Paracycling Mixed Scratch Race, with a blistering final lap proving too much for Will Bjergfelt in second and Martin Hailstone in third. Graham will look to make it a double tomorrow in the Men’s C1-5 Individual Pursuit.

The Team Inspired quartet of Jack Carlin, Ali Fielding, Joe Truman and Hamish Turnbull took a commanding victory in the Men’s Team Sprint, first qualifying fastest in 43.738 and then catching their opponents SES Racing en route to victory in the semi-final with a time of 44.342.

Team East Midlands (James Bunting, Marcus Hiley, Harry Ledingham Horn and Hayden Norris) were their opponents in the final, but were unable to stop Team Inspired, who took the victory by just over a second. Glasgow Track RCA took bronze with victory over Enhanced.

The final national champion’s jersey of the night went to Rhian Edmunds of Wales Racing Academy, who battled to a thrilling victory over defending champion Sophie Capewell in a deciding leg.

Having defeated both Milly Tanner in the 1/8 final and Lowri Thomas in the semi-finals in straight legs, she then took a 1-0 lead over Capewell in the final. However, Team Sprint world championships bronze medallist Capewell battled back in the second to even things up and set up a decider in the final race of the day.

With a home crowd behind her Edmunds dug deep to take the victory, before a victory lap draped in the red dragon.

Emma Finucane took bronze with a straight legs victory over Lowri Thomas.

Full results from day one can be found here, with more information on the rest of the weekend’s action here. You can also watch all of the action from day one on YouTube here.