Cat Ferguson took a sensational silver medal on the second day of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships after a fantastic battle in the junior women’s race in Tabor.

Anna Kay finished a brilliant 17th place in the elite women’s race, while Corran Carrick-Anderson and Dan Barnes came home 25th and 40th, respectively, in the under-23 men’s race.

Junior women

Cat Ferguson claimed her second silver medal of the championships after a tough battle in the junior women’s race for the podium positions.

Ferguson was quick off the mark, taking second place from the gun with teammate Imogen Wolff just behind in fifth.

An issue in the opening lap saw Ferguson drop backwards but the young rider stayed calm and fought back to third. 

Ferguson, Celia Gery of France and Viktoria Chladonova of Slovakia spearheaded the field, with the trio switching positions to go clear as the Czech rider chased behind solo and a group of four, including Wolff, maintained the gap 30 seconds back.

The second lap saw Ferguson take control, attacking hard up the climbs and sailing over each obstacle with ease as she tried to shake the other two riders. Gery and Chladonova continued to cling on as the three of them came back together coming into the final lap. Wolff continued to fight in the chasing group behind, maintaining her position in sixth place just over a minute behind the leaders.

Chladonova rode from the front trying to force the pace, but Ferguson stayed tight on her wheel. Within the final 10 minutes, the British national champion stormed down the descents in a bid to get away solo, as Chladonova and Gery changed their bikes over.

Coming into the key technical sections, Ferguson continued to lead as it became a huge battle for the top spot, with Gery and Chladonova racing ferociously to keep in contention.

Gery took the front line and overtook Ferguson as the riders battled into the headwind, with the Brit chasing hard as the three began to string out in the closing stages of the race. Ferguson fumbled at the top of the bridge section, coming to a halt which saw her struggle to get going again. Coming into the final corner, the French rider sprinted hard as Ferguson was just off the pace and finished in second just five seconds behind.

Wolff finished in the group two minutes back for eighth place, while Alice Colling rode a great race to finish 22nd. 

Elite women

Anna Kay finished in 17th place in the elite women’s race after a brilliant effort in Tabor. 

A ferocious sprint off the line saw Kay instantly in the mix, sitting just outside the top 10 within the first lap. Kay continued to stay in a good position, comfortably inside the top 20 as she moved from 19th to 15th place on lap two. Kay looked phenomenal over the technical switchback sections, and rode well within herself to stay collected entering the fourth and final lap. 

The elite national champion continued to ride on her limit in 17th place as the fatigue began to sit in, but Kay showed her tenacity to run up the slippery uphill sections and descend with great speed.

Coming into the final bend, Kay enjoyed the atmosphere and rode across the finish line in 17th place after a fantastic effort.

Under-23 men

Corran Carrick-Anderson and Dan Barnes rode incredibly well in the under-23 men’s race, with the British duo facing muddy conditions to finish in the top 40.

A huge crash out of the first bend saw Barnes and Carrick-Anderson caught up, with Carrick-Anderson hitting the deck but was able to get back on his bike unscathed. 

The under-23 national champion recovered well and chipped his way through the bunch to come into the second lap in 17th position. Barnes suffered a mechanical in the opening lap, which saw him fall from 22nd to 37th and unable to get himself back in position. 

Carrick-Anderson stayed within a group of five, ranging from 17th to 21st position throughout the race, while Barnes was behind in 40th battling solo.

The British pair continued to ride consistently, staying within their remit and battling the bridge, obstacles and muddy conditions. Carrick-Anderson crossed the line with one lap remaining in 20th, while Barnes remained in 40th. 

In the final lap, Carrick-Anderson came home in 25th place and Barnes finished 40th after commendable racing in tough conditions.

The competition will conclude tomorrow with the junior men’s race, where Alfie Amey and Oscar Amey will contest the title. Zoe Backstedt will aim to beat her 2023 silver medal in the under-23 women’s race and Cameron Mason and Thomas Mein will close the event in the elite men’s race.

The junior men’s race will be live on Discovery+ while the under-23 women and elite men will be on BBC iPlayer and online.