Barker bags silver on successful night for Great Britain at Euro Track champs

After Archibald finished second in Wednesday's elimination race, Barker matched that by taking silver in the scratch race at the European Track Cycling Championships, in France.

On a successful night for Great Britain's youthful team there were also bronze medals in both the men's and women's team pursuits, as well as a silver in the men's team sprint.

Barker may still only be 22 but, with Archibald, is one of the team's senior members as many of the Olympic squad take a break from the track, and led from by example with her medal.

The race was won by Lithuania's Ausrine Trebaite but Barker got the better of last night's elimination race winner, Dutchwoman Kirsten Wild, to grab the silver.

"I definitely didn't expect to be on a podium again so early," she told British Cycling.

"It was a little bit lonely without any teammates, because it's been a really, really, long time since I've done an individual race that I've actually done well at - so it was a pretty new experience for me.

"It was nice, I feel like I'm kind of going back to basics with bunch races at the moment, I'm trying to learn how to race them again, because it has been such a long time since I focused on them.

"I had a really good time, and it was a really, really, good field, actually, so I’ve been pretty lucky with the standard I got to race against.

"I've got loads to look forward to in 2017, I feel like this is the start of something new, a little bit, with taking a little bit of a step back from team pursuit and having a few more individual focusses, so it’s going to be quite fun. and quite interesting, I think."

None of the Olympic champion team pursuit squad were riding the event at the Velodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and their replacements, Danni Khan, Emily Nelson, Manon Lloyd and Emily Kay were beaten in their semi-final by Poland.

But the quartet of youngsters bounced back to take third place by beating hosts France in the race for bronze.

"We're over the moon, really. We didn't know how it would go," said 21-year-old Khan, a senior academy rider at British Cycling.

"There was a lot of illness going round the team the last few weeks, so we actually haven't had that many sessions as a four, all healthy and fit.

"So to come here and do three solid rides, getting faster each round, we're really pleased with that.

"It's a first senior European medal for me."

The women's medal was soon matched by the men who, after only managing the sixth fastest time in Wednesday's qualifying round, rode themselves into the bronze medal race with a strong performance in Thursday's second round, before catching their Dutch opponents to seal third place.

And their success was swiftly followed by the team sprint trio of Jack Carlin, Joe Truman and Ryan Owens, who lost out to Poland in the final but still took a surprise silver.

"It's sort of a bonus, really. We never expected to medal here, so to come away with a silver is fantastic," said Carlin.

In July the trio won European under-23 gold in the event, with Owens saying the senior silver capped off a fine year for the threesome, and dedicating the medal to someone special.

"It's been about a year since we first came together as a team, so it's a great way to cap it off and move on to the future," said the 21-year-old.

"We'd like to dedicate it to Jillian, Jack's mum." With Carlin adding: "Happy birthday mum."

Earlier in the night Ellie Richardson and Rachel James - younger sister of double Olympic medallist Becky - finished fifth in the women’s team sprint.

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