Published: Monday 20 May 2024
Images: Andy Thornley, Paraciclismomaniago, Stephen Smith

Alec Briggs secured the Open Derny National Championship title at Herne Hill Velodrome, while abroad there were 15 medals won by the Great Britain Cycling Team at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup, and podiums from the BMX freestyle squad and GB mountain bikers.

Open Derny National Championships

At the Open National Derny Championships, Alec Briggs seized the win for TEKKERZ CC after being paced by Iain Cook. Tom Ward (WardPerformanceUK.com) finished second with motorpacer John McClelland, while James Ambrose-Parish (TAAP Kalas) finished in third with Pip Taylor pacing him.

Briggs stormed to the win at Herne Hill Velodrome in London, showing incredible speed and fast tactics, combined with expert pacing from Cook, to take the victory by a comfortable lead.

 

UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup R3

The third and final round of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Maniago, Italy saw the Great Britain Cycling Team pick up a total of 15 medals, including seven golds, two silvers and six bronzes.

Daphne Schrager and Fran Brown brought home the first golds of the competition in the women’s C2 and C1 time-trials, before Brown took another title in the road race to secure the overall C1 world cup win. Schrager secured a road race bronze, while Fin Graham also had a golden weekend with two wins in the men’s C3 time-trial and road race. The road race also saw Ben Watson take the bronze in a sprint finish.

Lora Fachie and Corrine Hall took the time-trial gold in the tandem race as teammates Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl joined them on the podium in bronze. Unwin and Holl later added a gold to their collection in the road race to secure the overall world cup title, while Fachie and Hall stormed to the silver medal.

Archie Atkinson continued his fine form, adding to his medal haul from Ostend with a silver in the men’s C4 time-trial, before unfortunately breaking his collarbone in the road race. Morgan Newberry won a bronze in the women’s C5 time-trial.

Chris McDonald and Adam Duggleby thundered their way to a tandem time-trial bronze medal, while Felix Barrow took a brilliant bronze in the men’s T2 road race.

You can find the full round-ups from day one here, day two here, and day three here.

 

BMX Freestyle Olympic Qualifier Series

The Great Britain Cycling Team BMX freestyle squad kicked off their journey to the Olympic Games in the first round of the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai.

World champion Kieran Reilly took a fantastic third place, scoring 89.28 points. Jude Jones was just behind him in fourth with Dylan Hessey in 12th, as Sasha Pardoe and Charlotte Worthington bagged 11th and 12th in the women's event.

UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Poland

The women’s junior downhill event saw Heather Wilson take her second world cup win of the series. Wilson edged out Erice Van Leuven by 0.069 seconds to seize victory in the rain, and her time of 3.2864 would also have seen her finish fourth in women’s elite.

Speaking after her win, Wilson said:

“I can’t believe it. At the top I was just laughing, and I wasn’t feeling nervous. I was like ‘OK, I’m just going to have fun and try and ride my bike’. It was so loose, and I was really enjoying it. It was so fun. The whole track everywhere is so blown out. It’s so physical.”

In the elite women’s, Tahnee Seagrave finished in fifth place after finishing second in qualifying and the semi-finals.

Harriet Harnden claimed her second world cup podium of the season in the enduro event, having been the winner of last week’s world cup. Harden took the silver medal, winning the third and fourth stages, while Chloe Taylor won the bronze medal after winning the second stage.

The men’s under-21 enduro event saw William Brodie also secure a fantastic silver medal in Bielsko-Biala, while Tracey Moseley took her second world cup silver in the elite women’s e-enduro event.

 

Road riders abroad

Cat Ferguson finished second at the under-19 women’s Ronde van Vlaanderen over the weekend in a tight sprint finish, while under-23 rider Matthew Brennan finished fourth on the GC of the Orlen Nations Cup, having not finished outside the top six all week.

At the Trophee Morbihan Juniors, Elliot Rowe finished in fourth place for the Great Britain Cycling Team.