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Manon Lloyd ready for third European Championships
in 2016 with European Track selection |
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October 19th 2016 |
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Manon Lloyd (third from right) with British Cycling Senior
Academy. |
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When Manon Lloyd lines up at the European Track Championships
this week, it will be the third time she has pulled on the
Great Britain kit at a European Championships in 2016.
Lloyd who turns 20 in just over two weeks claimed the team
pursuit title at the Under 23 European Championships in July
to add to her under 19 title from 2014, before riding the
European Road Championships in September.
All coming after a fractured sacrum in April threatened to
derail Lloyd's season for the second year in a row, having
suffered a fractured pelvis a year earlier. Undeterred Lloyd
fought through the disappointment to ride the Aviva Women's
Tour before earning selection for the Under 23 European Track
Championships.
A gold medal around her neck in the team pursuit allowed Lloyd
to tick off one of her big goals for 2016 and go from strength
to strength. Another Women's World Tour Race at Ride London
followed by the European Road Championships, something she
credits as a learning experience for the future only continued
a successful season.
This week Lloyd will aim to complete the set of European
titles with an elite victory to go with her under 19 and under
23 success. Early November will then see Lloyd compete in her
fifth World Cup in Glasgow but this week she has her focus
firmly on the European Championships, where she will race
alongside Olympic Champions Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald
and under 23 European Championship teammates Emily Nelson,
Danielle Khan and Emily Kay.
Back on the British Cycling Academy for the third year
in a row looking forward to the year ahead?
I'm over the moon to be back on the Academy for the third
year, I've learnt so much in the last two years, and it has
given me so many amazing opportunities to race and gain
experience against the best bike riders in the world. I'm
really looking forward to the year ahead with some new girls
on the academy.
Selection for the Elite European Championship what
dose it mean to be named in the Great Britain Team for your
third European Championship in 2016?
It's an honour to have been selected for my third European
championship of the year and at the start of the season I
never thought I would have been selected to race at three of
them. Though I had not had an amazing start to the season I am
really pleased to be on my way to my second track championship
and to have been selected for the road euros was a massive
surprise. I may not have got the result I wanted at the road
championship but I learnt a lot from the experience.
To have been selected for my first elite track championship as
an under 23 is another big step up for me, and I'm looking
forward to what the team and I can do against some of the best
teams in Europe.
GB is sending a mix of youth and experienced what are
you most looking forward about racing alongside Olympic
champions Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald?
I have not raced in the same team as Katie and Elinor before
so this is something I am really looking forward to, and as
they are both now Olympic champions I am looking forward to
learning a lot from them.
Have raced World cups before but this will be your
first elite championship what do you think the biggest
challenge will be?
For me personally I don't think there will be any challenges
different to the under 23 championship. We all know what we
have to do. We do it day in and day out. Different track but
still 250m, we aren't going out to try and do something we
haven't done before. All four of us know what we are capable
of and we are going to stick to what we know.
If we go back to April you had a fractured sacrum at
the Energiewacht tour and had over a month off the bike did
you ever think the second half of 2016 would see you ride two
World Tour races, claim an Under 23 European Title and be
selected for European Road and Elite Track Championships?
Having a month off the bike in the middle of the season is not
something I had planned for 2016, after a pelvis fracture in
2015, and again having a lot of unneeded time off the bike in
the middle of the season. But having the fracture so close to
the under 23 championship did worry me a lot and I did think
at one point that I wouldn't be going. But I came back so much
stronger after my injury and I had really good form for the
Under 23 championships and the rest of the season.
The women's team pursuit has been added to the 2018
commonwealth games and the Madison at the World Championships
important step forward for women's cycling?
Yes this is something I am really excited about, I think the
team pursuit will be a really good opportunity for team Wales
as for a small country we have so many strong up and coming
track cyclists. The Madison is another step forward for
women's track cycling it's a race I've never raced, but would
love to have a go. I think GB will have really strong riders
looking to have the chance to race Madison at the World Cups
and World Championships.
Big changes to the omnium have also been announced
with the timed events removed and four bunch events held over
one day. What do you think of the changes? Something that
suits you?
I haven't had the chance as yet to experience the new format,
but I will be watching the new omnium format here at the
European championships. I think it will be better racing for
spectators to watch, as timed events can be pretty boring, and
having four bunch racing will be a lot more exciting.
They've cut it down to four bunch events with one new race
introduced the 'tempo' which will be interesting as no one has
ever raced it before. I think the new format will be better
for me personally as the timed events weren't my strong point. |
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