COUNTY cyclists Evie Richards and Hayley Simmonds have been selected as part of a 27-strong Team England cycling squad which will jet out to Australia for the Commonwealth Games which run from April 4 to April 15.
The programme includes track cycling, para-cycling (track), road cycling and mountain bike, with Team England competing across all cycling disciplines
Richards, who is the under-23 cyclo-cross World Champion, will contest the mountain bike race while Simmons joins up with Melissa Lowther and Abigail Van Twisk for the road events.
“I love being able to represent my country, and I’m looking forward to riding for Team England at Gold Coast 2018,” said Richards.
“We had our world championships in Australia back in September, so we used that trip as an opportunity to learn the mountain bike course for the Commonwealth Games.
“I really enjoyed the course, and I think it will suit a lot of my strengths so I can’t wait to race there.”
Team leader Keith Reynolds said there was a lot of experience in the England squad heading out to Australia but stressed the experience would benefit the young cyclists as part of their development.
“We’re happy with the team we’ve selected and there are some exciting prospects across the board, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the team gets on at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games,” he said.
Team England Chef de Mission Sarah Winckless added: “This is a really busy time of year for our cycling teams with the spring classics on the road, the world cup season starting for the mountain bikers and the world championships on the track so I’m delighted we are taking such a strong team to the Commonwealth Games.
“England has a long history in cycling at the Commonwealth Games having won more than 100 medals. I’m hopeful this team will be able to add to that tally for team and country in a few weeks’ time.”