Golden haul in Glasgow for Britain’s cycling stars

GREAT BRITAIN swatted aside recent controversies to show the future is bright with five golds at cycling’s Track World Cup in Glasgow. The only sign of trouble came when Katie Archibald and Manon Lloyd crashed before responding to win women’s Madison gold on Saturday — despite a broken wrist for Archibald and concussion for Lloyd. And, after the team pursuit squads’ triumphs on Friday’s opening day, Emily Kay won the new-look omnium yesterday, while the men’s team sprint squad of Jack Carlin, Ryan Owens and Joe Truman were also victorious at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. It saw Britain top the medal table at the opening Track World Cup of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic cycle. Archibald, who missed March’s Track World Championships in London with knee and elbow injuries sustained in a motorbike accident, faces another spell of rehabilitation. This time she was able to laugh it off. ‘I thought: “I’m not going to go to A&E on a Saturday night, Bonfire Night, it’s going to be hell”,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t sleep. I waited until what I thought was definitely the next day and went off to A&E.’ Of more serious concerns for Archibald and her established team-mates is the battle for their places, now there is upward pressure from a promising crop of talented riders. Kay, the most senior member of the team pursuit squad which won on Friday, won her second gold of the three-day event with a composed ride in the new-look omnium.