The Great Britain Cycling Team won silver in the junior men’s team pursuit on Tuesday as the UEC Junior and Under-23 European Track Championships began in Anadia.
Joe Holt, Gabriel Cullaigh, Joseph Evans and Matt Gibson set a time of 4:11.608 in the gold-medal ride to collect the team’s first medal of the competition as Russia won in 4:09.810.
Earlier the quartet had qualified fastest in 4:12.443 in Portugal and despite bettering that time in the final fell short.
"Happy to come out of today with a silver medal, boys rode awesome. We gave it everything, couldn't have done anything more. Thanks for all the support," Cullaigh tweeted after the race.
In the under 23 individual pursuit, Chris Latham missed out on a medal ride by less than five-tenths of a second. The 20-year-old completed four-kilometres in 4:26.341 to finish fifth with teammate Oliver Wood a further four-and-a half seconds back in eighth.
Switzerland’s Stefan Kung won the gold medal in a time of 4:18.794.
Emily Nelson and Manon Lloyd took seventh and ninth respectively in the junior women’s individual pursuit. Nelson negotiated the two-kilometres in 2:30.617 and Lloyd 2:31.532 as Russia's Daria Egorova took gold in 2:28.941.
Twenty-year-old Matt Rotherham ended in ninth in the under 23 men's kilo, the first of three sprint events for the Bolton-born rider in the competition.
His time of 1:04.395 was two seconds slower than winner Robin Wagner of the Czech Republic.
The championships continue on Wednesday.
Results
Women’s under 23 team pursuit
Women’s junior individual pursuit
Men’s junior team sprint
Men’s under 23 individual pursuit
Men’s junior team pursuit
Men’s under 23 1km time trial
