Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls will return to Manchester’s National Cycling Centre between 23-25 February for the 2024 British National Track Championships, with a host of Britain’s best riders vying for the coveted national championship jersey.
A host of Britain’s best riders including 2023 reigning world champions Will Tidball, Emma Finucane, Neah Evans and Neil Fachie will return to the home of British Cycling for the first time since 2020, with Newport’s Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales hosting the previous two events.
A limited number of tickets for the event remain on sale here, with prices ranging from £6.50 - £14 per session.
Men’s endurance
Will Tidball spearheads a strong men’s endurance field, with the scratch world champion competing in the scratch and points races. The 2023 season was a successful year on the track for Tidball, taking the national title in the team pursuit and silver in the points race. Tidball has since claimed the scratch world title in sensational style at a home world championships in Glasgow, as well as an elimination race silver in the recent European championships and wins at the UCI Track Champions League.
Rocking the rainbow stripes this year, Tidball will certainly have a target on his back, and will be challenged by the likes of the 2023 points national champion Will Perrett. The two will join forces in the team pursuit to represent Ward Performance S/B Kyle Gordon alongside Sebastian Garry, Michael Gill and Tom Ward.
Perrett, Ward and Gill will also be racing in the individual pursuit, where 2023 bronze medallist William Roberts will be looking to make it on the podium once again.
In the para-cycling endurance events, pilot Adam Duggleby and stoker Chris McDonald will hope to retain their title in the tandem pursuit, while Finlay Graham, Jaco Van Gass, Archie Atkinson, Will Bjergfelt and Ryan Taylor will be ones to watch in the men’s C1-5 pursuit.
Women’s endurance
Neah Evans will be looking to retain her title in the points race but will face tough competition from the likes of 2023 silver medallist Maddie Leech, and Great Britain Cycling Team (GBCT) teammates Jenny Holl, Grace Lister, Kate Richardson and Danni Khan. Recent Women’s WorldTour signings Izzy Sharp and Cat Ferguson will also be competing in the bunch races.
Triple para-track world champions Holl and stoker Sophie Unwin will be competitive in the tandem pursuit, while Khan will make her tandem debut with Lizzi Jordan. Multiple world and Paralympic medallist Lora Fachie, piloted by Corrine Hall, will also be competing, while world record breaker Daphne Schrager is the hot favourite in the women’s C1-5 pursuit.
Women’s sprint
World and European champion Emma Finucane will be looking to take another coveted national champions’ jersey, having been crowned the sprinting queen of the 2023 championships with four national titles. Finucane will be racing in the women’s team sprint alongside her Team Inspired teammates Sophie Capewell, Milly Tanner and Georgette Rand. They will face their Great Britain Cycling Team teammates in Iona Moir, Rhianna Parris-Smith and 2022 sprint champion Rhian Edmunds.
Moir, Parris-Smith, Lauren Bell and Lowri Thomas will be competitive in the women’s 500m time-trial, while Bell, Moir and Edmunds will also face stiff competition in the individual sprint against world tandem team sprint champion Amy Cole, UCI Track Champions League competitor Ellie Stone, and Scottish champion Kirsty Johnson. Stone, Bell, Cole, Johnson and Khan will also be competitive in the women’s keirin.
Kadeena Cox is the favourite in the para-cycling 500m time-trial in the C1-5 category, while the tandem equivalent will see Unwin and Holl, Fachie and Hall and Jordan and Khan battle for the gold.
Men’s sprint
Joe Truman will lead the men’s 1km time-trial, with the GBCT rider recently finishing fourth at the European championships. Truman will face multiple world and Paralympic medallist Jody Cundy CBE, who will be riding in both the able-bodied and para-cycling categories, and will also face tough competition against Tom Ward, Harvey McNaughton and Aaron Pope.
Harry Ledingham-Horn will be hoping to defend his title in the individual sprint, but will be fought hard by Scottish champions Lyall Craig, 2023 keirin bronze medallist Niall Monks, and Team Inspired teammates Marcus Hiley, Hayden Norris and Harry Radford. Ex-Paralympic pilot Peter Mitchell will also be returning to the track for the sprint and team sprint.
Truman, Norris, Ledingham-Horn and Ed Lowe will also be riding the team sprint, with teams Enhanced, ESV Manchester and Glasgow Track Racing Team fierce rivals for the podium spots.
Alongside Cundy in the para-sprint events will be Atkinson, Graham, Blaine Hunt and Van Gass, while multiple Paralympic champion Neil Fachie and pilot Matt Rotherham are the favourites in the tandem sprint events.
Day-by-day guide:
- Friday session one: Men’s sprint, men’s individual pursuit, women’s team pursuit, women’s scratch race, men’s C1-5 1km time-trial final, mixed tandem time-trial final, women’s C1-5 500m time-trial final.
- Friday session two: Men’s sprint final, men’s individual pursuit final, women’s scratch race final, women’s 500m time-trial final, women’s team pursuit final.
- Saturday session one: Women’s sprint, men’s points race, men’s team sprint, women’s individual pursuit, men’s C1-5 pursuit final.
- Saturday session two: Men’s 1km time-trial final, women’s sprint final, men’s team sprint final, women’s individual pursuit final, women’s C1-5 pursuit final, men’s tandem pursuit final, women’s tandem pursuit final, men’s points race final.
- Sunday final session: Men’s keirin final, men’s tandem sprint final, women’s tandem sprint final, women’s keirin final, men’s team pursuit final, women’s team sprint final, men’s scratch race final, women’s points race final.
