Katie Archibald is inspired by hometown Games

KATIE Archibald’s career might be travelling as fast as she pedals but Great Britain’s newest track cycling world champion insists she’ll continue to take things week by week.
World champion Katie Archibald only started to take cycling seriously two years ago. Pictures: GettyWorld champion Katie Archibald only started to take cycling seriously two years ago. Pictures: Getty
World champion Katie Archibald only started to take cycling seriously two years ago. Pictures: Getty

It was only two years ago that the 20-year-old took the idea of racing seriously but, such is her speed, she was fast-tracked into British Cycling’s Olympic Development Academy last November.

October had seen her crowned European team pursuit champion while last month she joined forces with Elinor Barker, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell to take the World Championship title.

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Quite understandably the celebrations flowed, although she was quickly back to work, and with the 2014 Commonwealth Games edging ever closer, the Glaswegian won’t change her outlook.

“It was a great experience at the World Championships but it is odd how quickly the World Championships feel like a different time ago,” she said. “You have the celebrations but as soon as I got back, having a week of celebrations you soon realise you are not fit enough, staying up all night and not waking until midday is not the way to go.

“So I was quickly back into training. For myself – a year ago, even six months ago – I couldn’t have imagined that I would be in this position.

“But it’s something I try not to think about too often, to be honest I only really think a week in advance at a time. The Commonwealths is the event that started off the cycling dream for me. The prospect of cycling around the velodrome in front of your home crowd has been the motivation for me.

“I have made the qualifying standards so now it is a case of waiting until the announcement of the team.”

Following the World Championships in Colombia, Archibald was back in action a little closer to home as she took part in the fifth and final round of the Revolution Series last weekend. But it proved somewhat of a painfulexperience at the opening of theOlympic velodrome in London with Archibald crashing with British teammate Dani King in the elimination race of the omnium.

But Archibald, who will take a break from the track to race in the Energiewacht Tour in Holland at the start of April, insists it is all par for the course for cycling.

“It was a pretty serious crash. I had never cracked a helmet before. You are used to crashing, you get the skid rash and slide down the track but with that one, Dani and I just both went down in a big thud,” she added.

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“But it won’t be something thataffects me; you just go back out there. I love the Revolution Series, obviously the World Championship atmosphere is great, but the Revolution Series is really one of my favourite races and the crowd there was great, they were so loud.”

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