- UK Men’s Cycling Team Eliminated After Charlie Tanfield’s Fall
- Jody Cundy Sets New World Record at Glasgow Paracycling Championships
- Former British Cycling Doctor Richard Freeman Faces Doping Suspension
Charlie Tanfield, 26, fell during qualifying for the men’s team pursuit on the inaugural day of the UCI World Cycling Championships in Glasgow. As a result, Great Britain was eliminated from the competition.
The defending world champions appeared to have a clear path to the medal rounds until Tanfield’s accident reduced the starting quartet to only two riders, forcing their elimination. Tanfield was transported to the hospital and diagnosed with a concussion despite having fled the scene uninjured.
British Cycling stated, “Immediately following his fall in this morning’s men’s team pursuit qualification, Charlie Tanfield was evaluated by the on-site medical team before being transported to the hospital for further treatment.” “Unfortunately, the men’s team pursuit riders will not progress in the competition.”
Team pursuit times are dependent on the third rider to cross the finish line, so Tanfield’s fall on the final lap automatically ended their competition. The qualifying round was won by Denmark, and the final is scheduled for Saturday evening.
Girmay, a stage victor in the Giro d’Italia and winner of the Gent-Wevelgem in Belgium completed the Tour de France on July 23 but crashed the following Saturday while competing in the San Sebastián Classic.
Although he initially applied for his UK visa on 1 June, it was not confirmed until Thursday morning. He will not compete in Glasgow due to his injuries and the delay in obtaining his visa.
In the men’s C4 omnium flying 200m, Jody Cundy of the United Kingdom became the second British para cyclist to achieve a new world record in Glasgow. The 44-year-old said, “I’ve been struggling to find a bit of speed recently, and I don’t get to compete in this event very often.” “It was quite discouraging to watch last year’s Omnium and wish for a 200.
In preparation for the 2024 Paris Paralympics, his primary objective remains the “kilo” event, in which he seeks a 14th consecutive global championship.
Services at the velodrome were also impacted by the Unite strike, as Glasgow Life employees stated they had “no choice but to go on strike.”
A spokesperson for Glasgow Life, a charity that operates leisure facilities on behalf of the city council, stated, “We are examining how this may affect our delivery of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and where we can implement contingency plans to mitigate against such action.”
Away from the championships, it was reported that Richard Freeman, the former British Cycling and Team Sky doctor, has informed Ukad (UK Anti Doping) that he will not be defending himself against allegations of two violations of anti-doping rules before a National Anti-Doping Panel. Consequently, Freeman could face a four-year doping suspension.
After a four-year investigation into the 2011 delivery of testosterone patches to Team Sky and British Cycling headquarters in Manchester, Freeman was removed from the medical register. He admitted to lying to Ukad, his attorney, and his legal team, as well as ordering 30 sachets of Testogel to the British Cycling team’s headquarters in Manchester.
Freeman could become the second doctor associated with Team Sky to be subjected to a doping ban after the team’s former medical consultant Geert Leinders was handed a lifetime ban in 2015 for doping offenses committed before joining the team.
Leinders worked as a consultant for Sky in 2011 and 2012, having been hired in October 2010 after the team changed its publicly declared policy of not recruiting doctors with experience in professional cycling to break with the sport’s doping history.
