World Title for Evie Richards

British riders put the Great into Great Britain at the World Cyclo-Cross Championships as Evie Richards wins Under 23 Womenâ€™s title

World Title for Evie Richards

British riders put the Great into Great Britain at the World Cyclo-Cross Championships as Evie Richards wins Under 23 Womenâ€™s title

Photo: UCI/Graham Watson

Itâ€™s been a long time, if ever, that a British team has competed with such success as did on day 1 of the World Championships at Zolder (Belgium).

Not just the World title for Evie Richards who is one very talented bike rider, but also the two fifth places for Nikki Harris and Tom Pidcock who both showed they were among the best in the World.

The day however will be remembered as the one where Evie Richards made history and won the first title in the Under 23 Womenâ€™s category. Lapping the course as fast or faster than the Elite Women, Richards fresh out of the Junior ranks, soloâ€™d her way to victory.

Taking the lead from Italyâ€™s Chiara Teocchi at the end of the first lap, Richards opened up a gap and was never challenged. The astounding fact about Evie is that it was in 2015 that she won a Silver medal in the Junior cross county World Championship.

A first year Under 23 and she dominates the race! Look out World!

“I started quite far at the back,” said a delighted Richards to British Cycling. “I was third row so I didn’t really know where I was to be honest. I didn’t realise I was in first and I’m not a fan of riding in a group. I just wanted to make a break and just get away and see how long I could last. I lasted four laps!â€

“It feels amazing! This is my first cyclo-cross race abroad so to get a jersey for my first race is incredible and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The other Brits in the race did well too with Alice Barnes ninth, Hannah Payton 12th, Ffion James 15th and Bethany Crumpton 25th.

Nikki Harris goes all out for title
After the title for Richards, it got even better and Helen Wyman and Nikki Harris showed how world class they were as well in the Womenâ€™s Elite race.

With both gridded on the front row, it was Helen Wyman, a bronze medallist in the event in years by gone by, who took up the British challenge by taking the lead on the first lap. The pace was relentless and soon there was a reshuffling at the front, and in Wymanâ€™s place came British champion Nikki Harris.

A small group of four or five formed at the front and Harris was giving as good as she got and twice she gapped her rivals. That effort though, all or bust, proved too much and as the Dutch rider De Jong put the hammer down and gapped everyone else to win the title, Harris faded on the final lap to finish fifth.

“I tried my best but that’s racing,” said the British champion. “It was a great race on a great course but it wasn’t my day. I was there and tried my best. I slipped and lost my momentum when leading and the group had caught me.”

Tom Pidcock 5th after battling performance
In the Junior Menâ€™s, it was a case of what may have been. First year Junior Tom Pidcock was gridded way back on the grid despite second in the last World Cup.

Whilst that seems unfair to an outsider, his lack of UCI ranking points and therefore poor gridding position, may also have been down to his GB academy coaches taking him to Holland for some track racing instead of seeing the importance of competing at the British Cyclo-Cross Championships in January where a win mayÂ have given him important UCI points.

Pidcock though showed what he could do against the best even if a world championship podium eluded him. Gridded well back, he made heavy work early on getting to the front on a course very different to the one he managed to finished second on the week before.

He was in such fine form however, that despite crashes and having to make up so much ground on the leaders, he put in the fastest final lap to finish the race fifth. “I crashed three times in the first two laps” he explains. “It never seems to go well for me but at least I managed to get back up to fifth. Just unlucky. Can’t get it right every raceâ€.

“On the first lap, being the world champs, it’s a bit more sketchy than normal,” he continued. “There was a pile-up on a corner and I rode straight over the top of it, got my bike tangled and went back places and then crashed on the descent into some kid who fell off. If Iâ€™d had a bit of luck, if I’d started nearer the front, I would have won that race!â€

“Hopefully next year, Iâ€™ll do some more races, get a better grid and then, win”.

Lets hope his coaches at the GB Junior Academy are taking note! Winning a world title never did Roger Hammond any harm … GBâ€™s other riders Dan Tulett was 21st, Ben Turner 27th, Will Gascoigne 42nd while British champion Mark Donovan did not finish.

Results

UNDER 23 WOMENS
1 RICHARDS Evie GREAT BRITAIN 0:41:34
2 NOSKOVA Nikola CZECH REPUBLIC +00:35
3 KAPTHEIJNS Maud NETHERLANDS +00:47

9 BARNES Alice GREAT BRITAIN +02:01
12 PAYTON Hannah GREAT BRITAIN +02:46
15 JAMES Ffion GREAT BRITAIN +03:18
25 CRUMPTON Bethany GREAT BRITAIN +04:49

WOMENS
1 DE JONG Thalita NETHERLANDS 0:41:03
2 MANI Caroline FRANCE +00:14
3 CANT Sanne BELGIUM +00:24

4 DE BOER Sophie NETHERLANDS +00:24
5 HARRIS Nikki GREAT BRITAIN +00:32
11 WYMAN Helen GREAT BRITAIN +01:51

JUNIORS
1 DEKKER Jens NETHERLANDS 0:43:05
2 CRISPIN Mickael FRANCE +00:35
3 BONNET Thomas FRANCE +01:00

5 PIDCOCK Thomas GREAT BRITAIN +01:22
21 TULETT Daniel GREAT BRITAIN +02:24
27 TURNER Ben GREAT BRITAIN +02:41
42 GASCOYNE William GREAT BRITAIN +03:59

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