The Wiggle Honda quartet of Elinor Barker, Dani King, Joanna Rowsell and Laura Trott successfully defended its Team Pursuit title at the Great Britain National Track Championships on the boards of the National Cycling Centre, Manchester. The four riders – with Barker, Rowsell and Trott dressed in the rainbow bands of World Champions – completed the four kilometre distance in a time of 4:24.903, to beat the Pearl Izumi team of Katie Archibald, Ciara Horne, Anna Turvey and Dame Sarah Storey.
“We’re pretty happy with that,” said Barker. “We went a lot better in the second ride, which is pretty good considering the [World Championship] format has gone to three rides, so it’s good that we can back it up.”
Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling set a qualification time of 4:29.742, which would have been little more than half a second short of making the bronze medal final in the men’s competition, was six seconds quicker than Pearl Izumi and set up a race for gold.
“Fair play to Katie and Ciara,” Barker said. “They did some absolutely monster turns apparently.”
The final race was delayed a little as the Pearl Izumi team false started on the first attempt. Once things had got going at the second attempt, however, Barker, King, Rowsell and Trott soon moved into a lead that they were to increase lap on lap. By the time they completed the four kilometre distance the Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling riders had improved on their qualification time by almost five seconds.
“We’re in pretty good shape,” Barker said of the team’s performance so early in the track season. “It’s early on, but we all going pretty well, all things considered.”
Result
1. Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling
2. Pearl Izumi
3. VC St Raphael
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
