Four top 10s for Great Britain Cycling Team on day two of 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships

It was a mixed day for the Great Britain Cycling Team as wet conditions made for tough work in the men’s junior, under-23 and para-cycling time trials, with four riders walking away with top 10 finishes on day two of the 2024 UCI Road and para-cycling road world championships in Zurich.

Men’s tandem B time-trial

Chris McDonald, piloted by Adam Duggleby, started well in the men’s tandem B time-trial, going through the third fastest at checkpoint one, 49.84 seconds down on reigning world champions and leaders Tristan Bangma (Netherlands). Going into time check two, the gap had grown to 1:08.77 and they were placed fifth, which is where they finished with a time of 39:46.24.

Men’s C5 time-trial

Will Bjergfelt got off to a strong start in the men’s C5 time-trial, aiming to improve on his seventh-place finish last year. After the first time check, he was in third position, 27.43 seconds behind the leader. He continued to power on, but ultimately finished in a valiant sixth place in a time of 42:05.38.

Men’s C4 time-trial

Archie Atkinson delivered a good performance in the men’s C4 time-trial, coming through in sixth place as he powered through the first check point.  Dipping between sixth and seventh, the 20-year-old pushed hard throughout, taking on the 29.9km course headfirst even as the weather turned, making the surface slick to ride on. Giving it one last push on the final straight, Atkinson came home in sixth place, covering the course in 43:19.25.

Men’s under-23 time-trial

In his first year in the under-23 category, Ben Wiggins delivered a confident ride in wet conditions heading through the first-time check in 12th position. Using the descent to his advantage, Wiggins powered through the second 10km to pull back into 7th place, with around 48 seconds separating him from the podium. Wiggins managed to keep his pace consistent for the final third of the race, but a podium was not to be and he came home in 18th.

Josh Charlton also delivered a positive ride on a difficult course, descending confidently and pushing hard where possible. In a stacked field he delivered a final time of 38:47.81, finishing 20th overall.

Junior men’s time-trial

Dylan Sage started well in the junior men’s time-trial, delivering the second fastest time at the first time check with 19 riders to go. Sage rode the course with maturity,  utilising the short, elevated sections on an otherwise pan-flat course. Riding comfortably in ninth position 15.5km in, Sage was 26.44 seconds down on the leader. Losing pace slightly on the final few kilometres, Sage finished in 12th place overall at his debut world championships.

Also making his debut was Fin Tarling who was last off the start line. Tarling set a strong pace in the first few kilometres, checking in sixth at the first-time check with just 18 seconds separating the top 10 riders. The 17-year-old continued to push on through the 24.9km out and back course but did not have the legs and slowly lost time on the leader, finally finishing 24th.

Tomorrow will see the final day of time-trials, with Cat Ferguson and Imogen Wolff contesting the junior women’s jersey. Fran Brown and Katie Toft compete in the women’s C1 race while Daphne Schrager and Amelia Cass compete in the C2. Matt Robertson competes in the men’s C2 time-trial, while Fin Graham and Ben Watson compete in the C3.

Callum Russell will compete in the H4 hand bike event while Felix Barrow will compete in the T2 trike time-trial.

You can watch the junior women’s time-trial on Discovery+ and all the para-cycling races on Eurovision Sport.