Beth Shriever regained her BMX racing world title as the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships drew to a close in Glasgow, while under-23 silver for Emily Hutt and bronze for Anna Shackley took Great Britain’s final medal tally to 100 overall.
BMX racing
Beth Shriever blazed to her second world title with a series of flawless performances on the final day of the championships.
Having qualified first in both her quarter and semi-finals, Shriever led the final from the off, powering out of the gate to secure her spot on the front ahead of the first jump. No one could come close to the Olympic champion, who crossed the line well ahead of the rest to be crowned world champion once again.
Speaking after her win, Shriever said: “Everything went well - it was the perfect lap. I just kept pushing all the way, and when I saw that finish line coming, I was over the moon. I can’t believe it!
“I’ve done a lot of stuff with my psychologist to practice things, and this was the perfect practice into Paris. I’ve trained hard, I’ve trained well, I was in perfect conditions for this race. I just trusted myself and I can’t believe it, really. I trusted my process and it worked - it’s unreal.
“I’ve always dreamt of getting the rainbow jersey [in front of a home crowd]. To actually do it is next level and it’s so special so I’m going to have this memory for the rest of my life.”
Emily Hutt took a sensational silver medal in the under-23 women’s category, having showed off her potential throughout the competition.
Hutt qualified first in her semi-final heat before a brilliant start saw her well-placed in the hunt for medals, crossing the line in second to seal the silver medal.
Ross Cullen was the sole British representative in the elite men’s final at his first world championships, and finished in sixth place to complete a good weekend of racing. Olympic silver medallist Kye Whyte eased through his quarter-final run before veering off the course out of the first bend in the semis to unfortunately miss out on the final.
Paddy Sharrock performed well and finished his competition in sixth in his semi-final heat, while Quillan Isidore just missed out on a semi-final place after finishing sixth in his quarter-final heat.
After a brilliant start out the gate in the quarter-finals, Matthew Gilston fell in the first straight to be knocked out of the under-23 men’s competition. Sienna Harvey unfortunately crashed out in the junior women’s quarter-finals, and after sailing through her quarter-final, Betsy Bax finished in fifth in the semi-final to just miss out on progressing.
Alex Talbott made it through to the semi-finals in the junior men’s competition, while Mark Fletcher exited the competition in the quarter-final.
Road
Lizzie Deignan fought hard all day to secure sixth place in the women’s road race, while 17th place on the road was enough to secure bronze for Anna Shackley in the under-23 category.
Setting off from Loch Lomond, the frenetic pace started to string out the bunch in the early stages, with Anna Shackley pushing the pace. Upon hitting Crow Road, a front group of five including Deignan managed to forge a gap of 50 seconds.
Lizzie Holden unfortunately crashed out while descending and was forced to abandon the race, as the front group were reeled back into the bunch with just over 100km to go.
The peloton split into two groups, with a gap of up to two minutes, before coming back together as they headed into Glasgow. Attacks were made and Anna Henderson made it onto the first lap of the circuit in a lead group of seven, as Deignan continued to control the pace in the group behind.
Switzerland’s Elise Chabbey then went solo, but was slowly reeled in by a formidable chase group including Deignan, Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky, Denmark’s Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Demi Vollering of the Netherlands.
With the front group back together, Deignan then launched an attack of her own, but couldn’t escape for long. In the final kilometres, it was Kopecky who then made the decisive move, and despite Uttrup Ludwig’s best effort,s the brilliant Belgian was too strong, adding another rainbow jersey to her collection after previous victories in the elimination race and points race on the track earlier in the championships.
Shackley found herself in a group of nine riders - including three under-23s - coming into the finish. Despite missing out in the sprint, an under-23 bronze medal was well-deserved for the Scot, who battled brilliantly all day.
Para-road
The mixed handbike team relay saw Claire Danson, Alex Brooke-Turner, Luke Jones and Nick Beighton secure sixth place to end a brilliant championships for the para-cycling squad.
The trio tackled the Glasgow circuit in front of a supportive home crowd, with Danson bringing them home in a sprint finish for sixth place ahead of Canada.
Speaking afterwards, Alex Brooke-Turner said: “It was tiring, but a nice way to end the week though, riding round as a team. All the other events were individual, so that’s always nice. It’s a nice hit out for us as competitors. We don’t get many races, so it’s pretty great.”
Of the 100 medals, the Great Britain Cycling Team have collected an incredible 34 world titles, with a total of 66 medals across the road, para-road, track, para-track, BMX racing, BMX freestyle park, mountain bike cross-country and downhill disciplines. Congratulations to all our fantastic riders and staff.
