Backstedt grabs world championship bronze in junior time trial
Great Britain celebrated a second bronze medal in as many days at the UCI Road World Championships in Harrogate when Elynor Backstedt finished third in the women’s junior time trial.
Russian Aigul Gareeva took a wrong turn on the approach to the finish line on Parliament Street but still had the power to win by four seconds from Holland’s Shirin Van Anrooij.
Backstedt, 17, had a scare of her own when she almost lost her back wheel on a slippy patch early on the 14km course but recovered to record a time 10.93 seconds off Gareeva’s winning mark of 22 minutes 16.23 seconds.
“It feels incredible really,” said Backstedt, who took bronze in the same event at last year’s World Championships in Innsbruck. “To get a bronze medal at a home championships is just pretty incredible with all the crowds.
“Being the last person off that was pretty scary, but the crowds kept me going all the way round so that was really nice. I’m really happy.”
After Sunday’s damp conditions, in which Britain picked up bronze in the mixed team time trial, the sun was shining yesterday but that presented difficulties of its own for riders as a mix of wet and dry roads made cornering treacherous.
It almost cost Backstedt dear as she slid on a sharp turn in Beckwithshaw and only just stayed upright.
“It was pretty difficult with the change of weather and surface, but I think apart from that little mishap I coped with it pretty well,” added Backstedt, who is the daughter of former Swedish national champion Magnus and British national champion Megan.