UCI Track Champions League: Katie Archibald admits to 'daft' confidence crisis in elimination race despite 100% record

ByNick Christian

Updated 05/11/2023 at 10:05 GMT

Even the most accomplished elimination rider in the world will sometimes doubt her abilities, as Katie Archibald admitted to a suffering from an attack of confidence ahead of the UCI Track Champions League elimination race in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines: "After the scratch race I was done in! And then suddenly I felt better." Archibald maintained her 100% record with an almost flawless performance.

Despite having a perfect record in the elimination race at the UCI Track Champions League in 2023, and an almost flawless record over the last three seasons, Katie Archibald began the event in Paris believing that the best she could hope for was a mid-table finish.

As it turned out, she maintained that 100% record with an almost flawless performance that sees her take a 12-point lead in the women's endurance league with her to the final rounds in London next weekend.

"I went in, at first, low in confidence," she told Eurosport's Kristina Vogel at close of play. "After the scratch race I was done in! There was something in my head where I thought: 'You know what, just give your best for top 10.' And then suddenly I felt better."

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Only then did Archibald realise that it was probably less a physical problem than a mental block.

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"It's really daft but what I thought was a pain in my legs was probably quite a large pain in my head," she said.

"When I relaxed and I'm chatting to Sophie Lewis, saying about this tactic and that tactic I decided to just chill out and have fun."

The relatively early knock-out of a rival gave Archibald a further boost.

"When I saw Maggie [Coles Lyster] eliminated I thought: 'Oh no, it's on now. Now you can ride.'"

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Satisfied with her evening's work, the ever analytical Archibald reflected on how she uses what she views as her weaknesses to her advantage.

"I'm quite poor at sudden accelerations, so you have to be quite sudden with your head," she said.

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While some riders like to leave it as late as late to save themselves from each their elimination, minimising the early effort on each lap, Archibald admitted to being of the opposite inclination.

"I really hate the pressure of sprinting in the home straight," she said, "so I try and get my business done in the back straight."

UCI Track Champions League highlights as Archibald shines in Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines

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The UCI Track Champions League is back for season three. You can watch it all live and on demand on discovery+. We will also have extensive coverage across eurosport.com.

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