British Cycling has recently announced the selection of 23 athletes who will be representing Team GB at the 2024 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Denmark, set to take place from October 16 to 20. This competition promises to be a pivotal event for the team, with a strong selection of young athletes marking the return of track cycling to the international stage after a highly successful performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where British riders secured a total of eight medals on the track.
A Women’s Team Full of Experience
The British women’s sprint team stands out with the inclusion of Sophie Capewell, Emma Finucane, and Katy Marchant, all of whom are Olympic team sprint champions with a world record to their name. Emma Finucane, who also made her mark as the world champion in individual sprint, will bring her wealth of experience to this competition, despite being just 21 years old. Lowri Thomas will also make the trip as the reserve for the sprint team. This team aims to capitalise on an outstanding season, with the ambition of securing a double by winning both the Olympic and World Championship titles.
In the endurance category, the team will be led by experienced riders like Katie Archibald and Neah Evans. Archibald, a double champion and triple Olympic medallist, makes her return after a foot injury kept her out of competition during the summer, missing the Paris Olympics. Her leadership and expertise will be crucial for the team. Evans, the current Madison world champion, is also a key force in the team, with three Olympic medals to her name. The team also includes Josie Knight, Sophie Lewis, Anna Morris, Meg Barker, and Jess Roberts, all of whom have been integral contributors to the team’s past successes.
A Men’s Team Focused on the Future
The men’s team, which will be led by Dan Bigham, Rhys Britton, Josh Charlton, Ethan Hayter, Noah Hobbs, Mark Stewart, Charlie Tanfield, Josh Tarling, and Ollie Wood, is also gearing up for high-level performances. On one side, Hayter, Stewart, Tanfield, Wood, and Bigham are experienced riders, who have recently won multiple medals at the World Championships, European Championships, and the Paris Olympics. All were part of the team pursuit squad that clinched a silver medal in Paris, narrowly losing to Australia in the final.
Josh Tarling and Josh Charlton will be making their senior World Championship debuts. At just 20 years old, Tarling already boasts an impressive road racing career, having won the individual time trial at the European Championships and securing third place at the World Championships the same year. More recently, in Paris, he was in the running for a medal, potentially the gold, when a puncture dashed his hopes, leaving him with the dreaded fourth-place finish. He and Josh Charlton have also enjoyed significant success in the junior ranks on the track. Less well-known but equally talented, Noah Hobbs from FDJ will also make the trip to Denmark. Between 2022 and 2024, he has medalled in team pursuit, scratch, omnium, points race, and Madison, showing his impressive versatility. At 19 and 20 years old (for Charlton and Hobbs, respectively), these three riders may well be the ones to replace the Olympic medallists from Paris in four years’ time at the Los Angeles Games.
For the men’s sprint, Joe Truman, 2018 World Championship silver medallist, will be the sole experienced rider, mentoring the younger talents Harry Ledingham-Horn (20 years old) and Hayden Norris (22 years old), who together claimed five medals at the recent U23 European Championships. These sprinters have been entrusted with the responsibility of representing the new generation of British sprinting, which began this summer with Ed Lowe’s (21 years old) silver medal in the team sprint at the European Championships. Meanwhile, Matthew Richardson, a British rider since the end of the Paris Olympics, is not yet competing with his new team, as he must wait for a mandatory period before he can once again participate in international competition.
Clear Objectives
Stephen Park CBE, British Cycling’s Performance Director, stated: “World Championships after the Olympics are always an exciting mix, as our Olympic medallists are in great shape after a successful season and are hoping to finish the year by adding a few more medals to their tally. While some riders rest after an intense season, it gives others the opportunity to stand out and claim a place on the podium. I’m looking forward to seeing how our six debutants handle the challenge of an elite environment.
“Our women’s sprint team has had an incredible season, and it would be fantastic if they could maintain that form and become the first British team to secure the double at both the Olympics and World Championships. It’s also great to see Katie Archibald back in elite competition alongside her teammates after a difficult summer recovering from injury.”
Our track squad heading to Denmark next week for the 2024 Tissot UCI Track World Championships! 🌈✨
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) October 7, 2024
11 Olympic medallists in the team, which also includes a number of elite World Champs debutants 🤩
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