Elinor Barker kicked off the Road World Championships with a bang as she claimed a gold medal in the junior women’s time trial.
Penultimate rider down the ramp, 18-year-old Barker smashed the previous best time by 35 seconds to pull on the rainbow jersey and avenge a narrow defeat in the same event one year earlier.
Welshwoman Barker was edged into second in Copenhagen in 2011, a tantalising two seconds off the top step of the podium but made up for that on the undulating 15.6-kilometre course in Limburg, Holland
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark) and Demi De Jong (Holland) rounded out the podium as Great Britain saw their second junior women’s world champion crowned in consecutive years following Lucy Garner’s success in the 2011 road race.
After a number of near-misses, including two track world silver medals in the individual pursuit and the omnium, Barker was finally able to pull on an individual world championship rainbow jersey.
The action continues on Tuesday afternoon with the women’s elite time trial which sees Emma Pooley and Wendy Houvenaghel in action for Great Britain.
