Non-stop rain on the penultimate day of the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships was not enough to wash away the Great Britain Cycling Team’s aspirations as they added four more medals to their overall tally.
Dame Sarah Storey, fresh from her golden Paralympics, took her 20th road world title, while teammate Morgan Newberry claimed the silver in the same event. Fran Brown retained her C1 road race title and Daphne Schrager won silver in the C2 race. The women’s elite team showed their determination and tenacity in a non-stop race in terrible conditions.
Women’s C5 road race
It was a Great Britain one-two in the women’s C5 road race with Dame Sarah Storey winning her 39th world title, while Morgan Newberry won her first ever world championships medal with the silver.
On a tough 70.2km course in harsh conditions the Brits delivered strong performances. Storey launched her trademark attack on the initial climb, getting a solo break off the front, where she would continue to ride throughout the race.
Newberry came through the first time check in second place and 1:52 down on Storey, but was focused on holding off any attacks from the chasing riders that might have de-stabilised her podium position.
On Newberry’s tail was Alana Forster (AUS) just a few seconds behind. However, Newberry worked well with a rider from the C4 race to conserve energy and keep Forster at bay. With the finish line approaching, Storey was well clear of the group over four minutes ahead and uncatchable, while Newberry’s lead on Forster had surpassed two minutes.
Storey sailed across the finish line having been unchallenged for the whole race to take her 39th world title and her 10th time taking the worlds double. Newberry followed on 7:09 behind, which was enough to take a comfortable silver medal and her first ever at this level.
On ending her season with a win, Storey said: “My season is a dream come true. This is the 10th time that I have won the double – I am over the moon!”
After securing her first world championships medal, Newberry said: “I’m so happy, it feels like it’s been a long time coming. I’m glad that I’ve just done the journey and kept going and here we are today – silver! It was very wet, I wouldn’t call it grim, it was just extremely wet… it was just really fun.”
On the combined world championships, she added: “It’s been really cool, it’s great to have the media around and everybody watching and the course was a level up from anything we’ve had before and I think that played to my advantage really, it was really good.”
Women’s C2 road race
Daphne Schrager won the sprint finish for second place to take the silver medal in the women’s C2 road race, while teammate Amelia Cass took fourth place.
The Brits started strong, riding together from the front for the first few laps of the city circuit, crossing the first three time checks together. As the race developed, a front group of six was formed, which included both Brits and last year’s gold and silver medallists Flurina Rigling (Switzerland) and Daniela Caroline Munevar Florez (Colombia).
With 24km to go, Rigling attacked, getting away from the front five and gaining momentum. The five behind worked together in an attempt to reel her back in, but couldn’t pick up enough pace to close the gap. Rigling pushed further ahead to extend her lead to 1:02.
Coming into the final kilometres and with the rain not letting up, neither did Rigling as her lead further increased. Meanwhile, the chase group of five had dropped to just three; Schrager, Cass and Florez who would ultimately find themselves sprinting for the silver and bronze medals.
In the final few metres with Rigling’s title secured, Schrager put the power down with confidence, leaving Florez and Cass to match her pace for their chance at a medal. Schrager pipped them both to take the silver medal, while Florez completed the podium in third place and Cass took fourth overall.
Women’s C1 road race
As the solo entrant in the women’s C1 road race, but on the course with the C2 and C3 races, Fran Brown found groups to ride with to conserve her energy in the tough conditions.
The reigning world champion worked hard up the climbs, taking another world title in the process.
Unfortunately, Toft was withdrawn from the race before the competition on medical grounds.
Women’s elite road race
With rain pouring on the peloton throughout the entirety of the 154km course, every rider was put to the test and Great Britain delivered tenacious rides that would see them in strong positions and regularly in breakaway groups. Unfortunately, it was not enough to see a Brit on the podium, as Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) sprinted to a fantastic rainbow jersey, while Anna Henderson finished the highest Brit in 21st position.
The race hit a high pace from the off, with an early break of Sarah Martin Martin (Spain), Nina Berton (Luxemburg) and Caroline Baur (Switzerland) off the front 25km in. The trio pushed the pace and managed to keep the peloton at bay, before eventually splitting into solo riders with 104km to go and then being swept back into the bunch.
With three ascents to go and the bunch back together, Anna Henderson, Alice Towers, Elinor Barker, Josie Nelson and Lizzie Holden were well placed towards the front of the peloton, while Claire Steels dropped back, suffering with the chill.
With 86km to go and the pace not letting up, a number of attacks continued to hit the peloton thick and fast, with breaks getting away and being brought back as quick as they attacked, creating the ultimate endurance test for all.
At the midway point, 11 riders were ahead, with GB riders settled in the bunch led by Barker and 15 seconds behind the leaders. By the third descent, with two to go, Barker, Henderson and Towers were the only Brits still riding, with Henderson and Towers managing to bridge to the front bunch.
The final lap of four saw the attacks really start to come thick and fast as a group of seven broke off, with a Belgian and Dutch rider taking a chance off the front. Being brought back in, the front group ebbed and flowed between four and eleven riders, until the final group of six; Liane Lippert (Germany), Chloe Dygert (USA), Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Australia) Demi Vollering (Netherlands) and Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) would fight it out in the sprint to the finish.
In a spectacular end to a fiery race, Kopecky put the power down and sped over the line to defend her road race title and reclaim her rainbow jersey.
For Great Britain, Henderson rode well until the final climb, pushing hard to stay in sight of the front group, but the day’s conditions got the best of her and she dropped back, finishing 21st overall.
Teammate Alice Towers finished 32nd overall, with an impressive fifth place in the under-23 standings, while Elinor Barker crossed the finish line in 61st place. Holden, Steels and Nelson DNF.
