Great Britain kicked off the 2023 UEC Cyclo-cross European Championship with a sensational silver medal in the team relay in Pont-Château, France.
After a steady start by the Great Britain Cycling Team, Cat Ferguson and Cameron Mason brought it back for the Brits to claim a silver medal.
Anna Kay started strongly as the lone starting female, putting in a solid first effort against the four other nations that saw her come in 90 seconds behind the French leaders.
Under-23 rider Dan Barnes took over and battled well to hold the gap as Great Britain maintained fifth place in a tight first two laps.
Junior rider Imogen Wolff went into the third lap to hold the same gap, before Oscar Amey began to make some incredible moves and shut down the Czech team with third, fourth and fifth places all within a few seconds of each other.
Amey passed on to fellow junior rider Cat Ferguson who showed unbelievable strength to get the Brits into the bronze medal position as the Belgian contingent dropped back into fifth place and gain a 15 second gap on the Czech team.
With the French storming ahead in the gold medal position, Ferguson focussed on closing the gap to the Italians who had been a minute ahead. Just before the final change over, Ferguson squeezed on past the Italians to get into the silver medal position and pass on to Cameron Mason.
The Scottish rider demonstrated his strength as the national champion, flying from the pits to claim a 20 second advantage over the Italians. France’s Joshua Dubau clung on to first place, but Mason ate into his time as he went like a steam engine hungry for the gold medal.
After a very strong effort that saw him clock the quickest lap of the entire field, Mason was unable to catch France, finishing just 30 seconds behind to claim a sensational silver for the Great Britain Cycling Team.
The second day of competition has been postponed due to extreme weather, with all riders competing on Sunday instead. You can find the full rider list here, with under-23 and elite coverage available on Discovery+, GCN+ and Eurosport and follow British Cycling’s social media channels for highlights.
