Shanaze Reade Makes it Two World Titles for 2007

 

World BMX Championships

July 29, 2007, Canada

Results etc - http://bmxworlds2007.com/bmx2007/splash.htm

 

After stunning the track cycling world in March by joining up with Victoria Pendleton to win the first ever Women's 500m Team Sprint World Title, Shanaze Reade returned to her more normal discipline this weekend, BMX, and beat her competition convincingly in the Elite Women's final at the World Championships in Victoria, Canada.

Shanaze cruised through her three qualifying motos, the quarter final and then the semi final, before going on to win the final and with it the Elite world title in her first year as a senior rider. This follows her win in the Junior ranks last year in Brazil.

 

Great Video Coverage Here: www.bmx2day.com 

(specific link to video index: http://www.bmx2day.com/videos/Victoria/Victoria07-07.php)

Check out the race footage for one of the most convincing victories you will ever see and spookily similar to her dominating performance in last year's Junior final.

 

With the pressure on her to win finally gone, the Great Britain rider was reportedly just very happy and relieved it was all over. 

This World Title win has extra significance of course as it comes a year out from the Olympics where BMX makes its debut. No doubt the win will have given Shanazea great boost to her confidence - which was, believe it or not, quite low only a few months ago. As Jamie Staff, himself a former World BMX and Track World Champion, and now coach to the team, said afterwards, "We saw the real Shanaze riding out there today".

 

Bronze for Batey - The final day of racing - Sunday - saw Kelvin Batey picking up GB's second medal of the championships, taking bronze in the Elite Men's Cruiser event.

 

Other Results: For full results from the Championships, including the challenge classes, where Ben Forwood and Andy Shaw were both on the podium in the 30 plus Men's event -  http://bmxworlds2007.com/bmx2007/splash.htm

 

World Champions at  2 Disciplines: It's not often an athlete has wins a senior UCI World title in two completely different cycling disciplines in one year as Shanaze has now done. German reader Thomas Juschus reminded us that Mariane Vos of the Netherlands took the Cyclo-Cross and Road titles in 2006, whilst Fred Best noted that Shanaze isn't even the first Brit to achieve the feat - Chris Boardman did the Pursuit and Road Time Trial double in 1994 and in 1960 Beryl Burton took both road race and pursuit titles. Meanwhile, Henrik Djernis took the Cyclo-Cross (amateur) and MTB XC titles in 1993. (email pressoffice@britishcycling.org.uk if you know of any more instances). Nicole Cooke did the amazing MTB Cross-Country, Road Race and Time Trial treble, but only as a Junior. This certainly puts Shanaze into pretty good company!