GB team pursuiters take double gold at European Track Championships

Great Britain's men and women won gold in the team pursuit at the European Track Championships in Grenchen, Switzerland yesterday. Britain have now won team pursuit gold in every European Championships they have entered since 2010.

Laura Trott, Katie Archibald, Joanna Rowsell Shand and and Elinor Barker caught Russia within 2,500m in their final, posting a time of 4:17.010.

Archibald told British Cycling: “It’s so rare – we’ve never had a catch where we’ve continued on riding. Paul [Manning] had said to us beforehand that he wants us to do three full rides and we all kinda went, ‘Really?’ But it’s been a pretty exciting challenge in itself. New tactics and things. So yeah, a pretty interesting challenge.”

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In the men’s final, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Andy Tennant, Owain Doull and Jon Dibben beat Switzerland by two seconds in a time of 3.55.243.

"That was classic team pursuiting there against a nation that has pushed us in every round,” said Wiggins. “Until the end there, the last few laps, it wasn't in the bag and we had to fight and that is the spectacle of the team pursuit. I just love it.”

Wiggins also said that it was pleasing to get good rides in with different combinations of riders. Thursday morning saw Barker, Archibald, Rowsell Shand and Ciara Horne defeat Poland in the first round while the men had gone with Wiggins, Steven Burke, Matt Gibson and Doull to beat Russia.

The team sprint events were less successful, however. British champions Jess Varnish and Katy Marchant came fifth, as did Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Lewis Oliva in the men’s event.