Gold For GB at Track Worlds

Will Tidball and tandem riders Jenny Holl/Sophie Unwin won Great Britain’s first world titles on the opening night of finals at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.

Gold For GB at Track Worlds

Will Tidball and tandem riders Jenny Holl/Sophie Unwin won Great Britain’s first world titles on the opening night of finals at the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships.

Photos: UCI Track Cycling

CYCLING SCOTLAND PRESS RELEASE

The new super event, which features 13 different cycling disciplines and takes place in Glasgow and all across Scotland from 3-13 August, is extra special for the Scottish riders, who have the chance to pull on the famous rainbow World Champions jersey. Holl and Unwin wasted no time in doing so, as in front of a typically vocal Glasgow crowd, they used all their strength to snatch Women’s B Tandem 1km Time Trial gold in the final half a lap, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Having set a personal best of 1.07.95 in qualifying to top the leaderboard, the pressure was on to back up their efforts in the final. Out of the start gate last, the endurance pairing ride the event in a different way to most of their rivals, taking longer to get up to speed. As in qualifying, they trailed by over a second at the halfway mark, but as the gap started to diminish, the crowd roared them on. As they flew towards the line, there was a collective deep breath until the big screen confirmed the British duo had won gold. Stopping the clock in 1.08.302 it couldn’t have been much tighter, as they claimed gold by just 0.06 of a second, upgrading from the World bronze they won 12 months ago.

Unwin said: “It was hard but every kilo is! I didn’t know the splits, I didn’t know the times that had been done before us so I was thinking ‘we’ve just got to go as hard as we can’. Having the crowd behind us was incredible.” Delighted with their efforts, Holl said afterwards:“There’s just no words that can do it justice! To win in this velodrome, with my friends and family in the crown, and the loudest voice I can hear is my dad, it’s just all I could have asked for and I’m just over the moon.”

On their start slow, finish fast tactics, Holl added: “The gameplan was just to go as hard as we could. We’re always going to be slower in the opening lap but we’re always going to be able to bring it back at the end. That fourth lap is where we come into our own, and it showed. The only reason I knew we’d won was because of the crowd!”

Holl and Unwin go again in the Pursuit tomorrow, the Sprint at the weekend before moving down to Dumfries and Galloway for the Para-TT and Road next week. There was also silverware for Lauren Bell and her compatriots in the Women’s Team Sprint after a brilliant match up against Germany in the final. Fastest in the opening qualifying round, they then went again at the start of the evening session to secure a slot in the gold medal ride-off. Bell was quick out of the gate and put down her fastest lap of the day when it mattered most, to set the team up for a fast time.

And fast it was. After a British record earlier in the day, they bettered the World Record, but unfortunately Germany went even quicker to take the world title. After that 45.923 time for silver, Bell reflected:“It’s amazing. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to have the Worlds at your home track, the track where I learnt how to ride. When you walk up and the commentators say your name the crowd go crazy, so it’s such a special feeling.”

Neah Evans did herself proud in the Women’s Individual Pursuit, after being selected for the event last minute. Despite a crash in training hampering her preparations this week, she took almost two seconds off her personal best – set when winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games last year – in qualifying during the morning session. That set her up for the bronze medal ride, that she attacked with similar venom, albeit slightly more control than her morning ride. Ahead until 2km, the Aberdonian was holding it together well, but her Kiwi opponent Bryony Botha turned on the afterburners to come back at her and take third.

Still, fourth in the World is a pretty special achievement in an event you don’t focus on, as she reflected afterwards: “I didn’t really have expectations, as it was never a long-term plan that I was going to do the Individual Pursuit, so it was about coming out and seeing what I had, and using it as a primer ahead of the Madison, which is my main focus. It’s a bit bittersweet, as I’m really competitive and I’d have loved to have come away with a medal, but when you’re racing for a medal it feels pretty raw.”

Up in Fort William the Mountain Bike Downhill got underway, Aimi Kenyon and Nina Yves-Cameron in action in the Junior Women’s qualifying, where a late change by the UCI commissaires expand the final field from 15 to 30 was crucial, with both riders chance of final qualification much improved.

Scottish national champion Yves-Cameron was one of the early starters and was roared home by the crowd, and came home in 18th place. The local rider was unaware of the late rule change until after she finished, as she told Scottish Cycling:“I didn’t know at the start! In my head I was thinking I need to get down in the top 15 but it’s put me at ease now knowing that we’ll all get through and seeing so many girls race tomorrow.”

Kenyon, one of the favourites for this event, who was riding a new Irn-Bru inspired bike, came home in second place after a blistering, dare one say phenomenal, performance on the Aonach Mór. The Invernesian said afterwards:“I’m so happy with that – it wasn’t an incredible run but it was super clean so I’m really pleased with it.”

Today (Friday) Back in Glasgow in the velodrome Holl and Unwin go for more silverware, whilst Katie Archibald gets her campaign underway in the Women’s Team Pursuit.

Continued after the advert …

RAINBOWS FOR TIDBALL (based on British Cycling press release)

Will Tidball took his first world championship title with a magnificent ride in the men’s scratch race as the home crowd drove him home. Tidball remained calm throughout the race and unleashed his stealth on the final lap with an unbelievable sprint to take the rainbow jersey in an incredibly well timed race. After his world championship win, Tidball said: “It’s stuff dreams are made of – I haven’t caught my breath since coming off the track. My family and I have sacrificed so much to be here and to be a world champion in front of a home crowd, it doesn’t get much better than that. I just did my bit in that race. It’s easy to get excited and do too much and draw a lot of attention to yourself so everyone thinks you’re the strongest but luckily everyone forgot about me! It’s amazing.”

Lauren Bell, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane claimed a sensational silver medal in the women’s team sprint, breaking the British national record twice in the process. The Great Britain squad qualified fastest in 46.072, before taking on reigning world champions Germany in a battle for gold. The young trio just missed out on the gold, clocking 45.923 – a world record time if it wasn’t for the Germans smashing the world record to take gold.

Capewell said: “It wasn’t a perfect execution so we know there’s a little bit more to come – the goal has always been Paris. It’s a little bittersweet considering it was so close in the end as well, but also mega proud of all the team because it’s an amazing result.” Scottish rider Bell added: “It’s amazing. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for a worlds on a home track – it’s the track where I learnt how to ride. The crowd has been amazing and given me so much support. When you walk up and the commentator says your name, the crowd goes crazy and it’s such a special feeling.”

Bronze for GB. After qualifying less than one hundredth of a second apart, Great Britain tandem pairings Steve Bate piloted by Chris Latham and Chris McDonald piloted by Adam Duggleby faced off in the men’s B individual pursuit bronze final, with Latham and Bate securing their places on the podium and a bronze medal.

There were many other highlights for the GB riders during the day. In the women’s individual pursuit, Neah Evans clocked a brilliant personal best time of 3:21.811 to put herself into the bronze medal ride against New Zealand’s Bryony Botha, but had to settle for fourth after a fantastic fight. Jess Roberts finished the 10th fastest qualifier after another personal best ride. Jody Cundy kicked off the men’s C4 omnium with a world record in the 200m time-trial, clocking a blistering time of 10.427. Sam Ruddock finished in a fantastic fourth place in the men’s C1 individual pursuit, while Ryan Taylor also claimed fourth in the C2 individual pursuit.

There were also some disappointments on Thursday when the Great Britain Men’s team pursuit squad were heading comfortably into the next round of qualifying and disaster struck for the defending world champions as Charlie Tanfield crashed coming out of the final bend. That crash saw them not qualify for the next two rounds. …