Elinor Barker In Pursuit Of More Gold After Being Named In GB Team

Elinor Barker will be part of a GB squad looking to defend their team pursuit title at the European Track Championships in Bulgaria this month.

The Cardiff-born cyclist will be joined by Laura Kenny, Katie Archibald and Neah Evans at the champs in Plovdiv (11-15 November).

Josie Knight has also been named in the squad as the riders will also compete in other women’s endurance events.

Barker has already won six European Championships gold medals in various events to go with five at World Championships on the track.

Elinor Barker celebrates as she seals points race gold at the World Championships in Berlin in March. Pic: Maja Hitij/Getty Images

The 26-year-old was also part of the British quartet that struck team pursuit gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

British Cycling’s Performance Director Stephen Park said: “The European championships marks the first track racing opportunity for the GB Cycling Team since the news of the delayed Olympic Games back in March.

“We are looking forward to seeing what progression we have made as a result of refining our preparations to reflect the changing landscape.

“As well as using this event as a learning opportunity for Tokyo 2020, I am especially excited to support our female sprinters as they compete in the first ever three-women team sprint.

Elinor Barker is congratulated by team-mate Dani Rowe after winning the gold medal in the women’s points race at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Pic: Getty Images.

“Our attendance at these championships was not an easy decision to make, given the announcement of the latest national lockdown.

“However, we have confirmed with UK Sport that we are operating within the government guidelines concerning elite sport and Dr Nigel Jones, our Head of Medical Services, is confident that the COVID protocols put in place by the event organisers will mitigate risk to our staff and riders.

“We are operating an ‘opt in’ policy for all the competitions we attend, and we will continue to prioritise the health and well-being of our team.”

Great Britain Cycling Team for the UEC European Track Championships:

Men’s Endurance

Ethan Vernon
Matt Walls
Ollie Wood

Women’s Endurance

Katie Archibald
Elinor Barker
Neah Evans
Laura Kenny
Josie Knight

Women’s Sprint

Lauren Bate
Sophie Capewell
Katy Marchant
Milly Tanner
Blaine Ridge Davis
Lusia Steele