Anna Shackley and Sean Flynn have travelled down under as the two Scots representing Great Britain at the UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong.
The duo competed on the road for Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August and have now flown to New South Wales for the chance to compete for the rainbow jersey.
Sean Flynn makes his debut at the Road World Championships, after a stellar season with Swiss UCI Continental outfit Tudor Pro Cycling.
The former Edinburgh RC rider claimed his first UCI win at the Tour of Istria in Croatia, before riding to a brace of Top 10 Stage finishes at the Under 23 Giro d’Italia. A strong ride in support of Finn Crockett in Birmingham helped win the Highlander a bronze medal, while Flynn claimed 10th place.
Most recently, the Scot finished fourth at the Tour of South Bohemia and will hope to carry those strong legs down under.
Flynn told Scottish Cycling:
“I’m really looking forward to my first World Championships on the road, we have a strong team and can hopefully play for the win. It’s also my first time in Australia so hopefully the jet lag won’t be too much of an issue! I can’t wait to see what’s possible in Wollongong!
Sean will be in action in the Under 23 Men’s Road Race, which kicks off at 4am on Friday 23rd September, with an expected finish time of around 7:45am. Perfect breakfast viewing.
The 169.8 km route sees 10 laps of the City Centre Circuit which may suit the Scot, as there are no major climbs over 1km to contend with.
Unlike the Men, the Elite and U23 Women will be in the same race, however different jerseys will be awarded, with Anna Shackley being eligible for the U23 Women.
Shackley’s second season at Women’s World Tour Team SDWorx has seen the Scot constantly improve. Top performances at Itzulia and Vuelta á Burgos have seen the Glasgow Riderz graduate duke it out with the best on the Women’s WorldTour.
The recent Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta provided the Olympian with her best result to date, as the Scot finished 7th on the overall general classification, the first ever Top 10 by a Scot on the Women’s World Tour. Shackley would have won the Young Riders jersey (U23) had it been in operation. A similar result in Wollongong would be welcome.
The 164.3 km route includes one large climb of Mt Keira early on before the City Centre Loop will see 10 circuits, which includes the punchy 1.1km climb of Mount Pleasant on each tour.
The Women’s Elite and U23 Road Race (featuring Anna Shackley) is on Saturday 24th September with a 3:25am start time and a finish of approximately 8am.
Both races will be fully live on the BBC iPlayer and Red Button, while Eurosport/GCN+ and Discovery+ will also have full live coverage.
You can keep up to date from Wollongong by following us @ScottishCycling on social media.
