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GB’s Evie Richards talks about U23 World CX Champs win (+ video)

“No words can describe the feeling” says rider who took solo victory

“No words can describe this feeling” – that was the reaction of Great Britain’s Evie Richardson yesterday after she won the Women’s Under-23 World Cyclo-cross Championship in Zolder, Belgium in what was remarkably her first ever race abroad.

Richards, a silver medallist in cross-country at last year’s Mountain Bike World Championship, is the first woman to win the event, newly introduced this year, having taken the lead by the end of the opening lap and riding away to claim a fine solo win.

"I started quite far at the back," she said afterwards, quoted on the British Cycling website. "I was third row so I didn't really know where I was to be honest.

Here is the video of the full race on the UCI YouTube channel.

“I didn't realise I was in first and I'm not a fan of riding in a group. I just wanted to make a break and just get away and see how long I could last. I lasted four laps!

"It feels amazing! This is my first cyclo-cross race abroad so to get a jersey for my first race is incredible and I wouldn't want it any other way," she added.

No words can describe this feeling #worldchampion #zolder #cyclocross

Posted by Evie Richards on Saturday, 30 January 2016

Richards' win has been overshadowed by the biggest story in cycling so far in 2016 - the news that a bike apparently belonging to pre-race favourite Femke van den Driessche of Belgium was discovered by UCI scrutineers to have a hidden motor.

>  Mechanical doping at Cyclocross Worlds confirmed

In the Women’s Elite race, British champion Nikki Harris was one of five riders who fought it out for the rainbow jersey and held the lead on the third of the four laps before fading to finish fifth, with the race won by Thalita De Jong of the Netherlands.

"I tried my best but that's racing," said Harris. "It was a great race on a great course but it wasn't my day. I was there and tried my best I slipped and lost my momentum when leading and the group had caught me."

Helen Wyman, who had led the field during the opening lap, finished 11th.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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10 comments

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efail | 8 years ago
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Very, very impresssive. Well done.

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pedalpowerDC | 8 years ago
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Fun fact: Evie was riding on a bike painted in the US National Champion colors because it was Katie Compton's old bike. After the race, Katie tweeted that it was the first time one of her bikes won a rainbow jersey.

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iandon | 8 years ago
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British World Champ!  Well done and well deserved Evie.  You smashed it!

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ChrisB200SX | 8 years ago
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Pretty impressive that she beat someone who had borrowed a motocross bike.

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CygnusX1 | 8 years ago
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Well done Evie. Thoroughly deserved.laugh

Must be gutting to have your moment overshadowed by controversy elsewhere in the field.

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1961BikiE | 8 years ago
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Nice of the BBC site to have a story on the technological fraud but I can't see any mention of a British World Champion.

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VeloPeo replied to 1961BikiE | 8 years ago
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1961BikiE wrote:

Nice of the BBC site to have a story on the technological fraud but I can't see any mention of a British World Champion.

road.cc had two or three stories about the motor up before this one, which is a shame.

 

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Simon_MacMichael replied to VeloPeo | 8 years ago
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VeloPeo wrote:

road.cc had two or three stories about the motor up before this one, which is a shame.

We did, yes; we couldn't ignore what is the biggest cycling story of 2016 to date (and indeed of the past few months).

We did remedy that as soon as we were able to, however.

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VeloPeo replied to Simon_MacMichael | 8 years ago
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Simon_MacMichael wrote:
VeloPeo wrote:

road.cc had two or three stories about the motor up before this one, which is a shame.

We did, yes; we couldn't ignore what is the biggest cycling story of 2016 to date (and indeed of the past few months).

We did remedy that as soon as we were able to, however.

Took 24-36 hours to get the story about Evie up

The articles about the motor the precceded that added nothing to what was already in the public demain.

I appreciate you writing this article Simon, just disappointed that road.cc as a whole chose to focus on the speculation and put a World Champion story to one side until Sunday 

 

 

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Mike4Wales | 8 years ago
1 like

Some positive news - well done and congratulations to Evie. 

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