Geraint Thomas will spearhead a Welsh contingent of nine riders named in the extended Great Britain squads for the Cycling Road World Championships in Glasgow. Wales’ former Tour der France winner Thomas is joined by Owain Doull, Luke Rowe, Josh Tarling, Ethan Vernon, Elynor Backstedt, Elinor Barker, Carys Lloyd and Luke Jones for the road and para road events that take place between August 3 to 13. The road and time-trial events form part of an 11-day programme of 13 world championship events taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland, from 3-13 August, with 8,000 riders competing and 190 UCI World Champions to be crowned.  

Teenager Josh Tarling blew away the rest of the field to become the British men’s time trial champion as Lizzie Holden claimed the women’s crown at the Croft Circuit near Darlington. Tarling is just 19 but the 6ft 4in tall Welshman towered over his rivals in more ways than one, putting more than a minute into them over the course of 41.1 kilometres as he won in a time of 48 minutes 50 seconds in windy conditions in north Yorkshire.

Zoe Backstedt insisted she felt no pressure after she became the junior women’s time trial world champion in Australia after a magnificent day for Welsh cycling during which Josh Tarling also struck gold. The Welsh teenagers both won gold for Great Britain in Wollongong to underline their huge potential Backstedt completed the 14.1km course in a blistering time of 18:26.78, a full 1:35.58 minutes ahead of the silver medal winner, Germany’s Justyna Czapla.

Josh Tarling led the way as Welsh riders won an incredible 17 medals at the British National Track Championships in Newport. Teenager Tarling followed up his individual title in the 120 lap points race, by also winning the men’s team pursuit, alongside Joe Holt, Harvey McNaughton and William Roberts. It proved to be a hugely memorable championships for home riders at the Geraint Thomas Velodrome as they secured five titles in all and 17 medals to lay down a marker ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later this year.