Katie Archibald aims to add festive cheer to year of golden success

Katie Archibald, bottom right, and Laura Kenny compete in the Madison at the European Championships in Glasgow in August. Picture: Bryn Lennon/Getty

Archibald’s trophy cabinet is already full to the brim after another superb year on the track.

In the last 12 months, the Scot picked up gold at the 2018 World Championships in the Madison event alongside Emily Nelson and added another at the Commonwealth Games in the individual pursuit, as well as points race silver.

She also bagged a sensational 11th European crown as part of the GB team pursuit squad which brushed all aside in Glasgow. At the last World Cup round in Berlin, she won omnium gold, finishing with 132 points, 14 clear of Italy’s Letizia Paternoster.

She has since been named Cycling Weekly’s Female rider of the year and was nomination for the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.

All this added up means the Milngavie rider has had quite the 2018 and has fixed her attentions on topping it off in style.

“In terms of my career I suppose it has been my best year,” said the 24-year-old.

“It sounds stupid because the Olympics is everything but equally I missed the World Championships that year.

“Everything I am doing now was all realised in Rio but this year the Commonwealth individual pursuit medal was very important and so was the British record.

“Victory in London would be just before Christmas and would top it all off in front of a home crowd.”

She admitted her Sportswoman of the Year nomination was all a bit surreal.

“I was third placed and we had been there all evening – and for all the other awards it had only been the winner who stood up.

“When it got to my award they started calling op third place and I was just dumbstruck, so I had to go up and accept the award – that was a strange one.

“It was a very fun evening and I had been a bit nervous about going but I love a good montage and it was inspiring story after inspiring story.”

Archibald’s first Track World Cup track cycling event of the season in Milton, Canada delivered further success in the form of gold in the Madison with Elinor Barker. And, after her Berlin win, Archibald is hoping she and her team-mates can replicate that form.

“I spent so much time throughout the summer talking about how excited I was for the track season and getting that under my belt,” she added.

“London will be the final World Cup event I compete in before the World Championships next year. I have been so wrapped up in Madison racing lately that I think sometimes it is easy to overlook basic physiology that is going to allow you to win races.

“We tick a lot of those boxes just by racing as a team – so as long as the rest of girls are going well – it seems to keep me in good stead.”

l See the stars of British Cycling #BackToTheTrack at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark at the 2018 TISSOT UCI TrackCycling World Cup series between December 14 and 16. For tickets and more information visit www.trackworldcup.co.uk