Shannon McCurley finished 7th in the Women’s Elimination Race at the European Championships in Glasgow this morning. The Irish woman was looking strong and comfortable in the race before a tip of wheels on the home straight cost her a higher placing. The race was won by Laura Kenny (GB), with Germany’s Anna Knauer taking silver and Evgenia Augustinas from Russia winning bronze.


McCurley was moving easily in her bunch, before the bad timing with a tip of wheels with the 2017 Team Pursuit European Champion, Elisa Balsamo from Italy.


“I felt good legs felt good I felt comfortable there. I was hanging around the good girls all race up the front, and unfortunately hit the Italian’s wheel coming into the finishing straight of the elimination lap and it cost me.


“The Elimination Race is very well suited to me, I love the argy bargy, I’m not afraid to take a gap. And I was confident, it just didn’t go my way. My first one so what can I say, more to come.”


Ireland’s first female track cycling Olympian has recently switched from the sprint based Kierin Racing to endurance this season.


“It’s been good, I’ve dropped about 11kg, so that’s probably been the big one for me, and switching training from gym work to three or four hours on the road, it’s just huge! I can’t wait for more – it’s early days so I think it’s looking good, it’s promising.”


Despite overcoming a series of serious injuries from a crash last year, determined McCurley has her sights firmly on Tokyo.


“Ten months ago, I was knocked off by a motorbike while I was out training on the road. It was pretty brutal – I suffered with concussion really bad for about four months, so mentally it really messed me about.


“I couldn’t straighten my arm and I also fractured my left capula in my arm – so I was in a bad way. Training wise anyhow. Mentally I thought I was done. I didn’t know what to do, but I just kept pushing away on the ergo at home.


“Then finally I got the plate taken out and I thought I was better. I’m still having physio twice a week. I had a final surgery just three months ago to remove a bone that was getting in the way so I can almost straighten my arm now.


“On the bike I’ll feel it after – but not during, I don’t think about it at all. I raced two or three world cups with it last year – with the plate still in and I was very lopsided on the bike. I couldn’t get the power out and then I went home and got the plate and everything removed.


“We got a little bit more out of it, but that was when I decided, I’m going endurance. I’m much more suited to it, this is where I’m going to get the results – so this is what I want to be doing. For Tokyo the Madison and the Omnium are the big ones for me – I think more so the Omnium. Over the next two years the more I build up I’m going to have a good chance in that.”


This afternoon Alice Sharpe is competing in the Women’s Road Race in Glasgow, and Mark Downey takes on the Men’s Points Race later on tonight.


History is made this week when Glasgow and Berlin host the inaugural European Championships, an exciting multi-sport event bringing together some of the continent’s leading sports, including the existing UEC cycling championships.



RESULTS


Women’s Elimination Race


GOLD Laura Kenny (GB)

SILVER Anna Knauer (GERMANY)

BRONZE Evgenia Augustinas (RUSSIA)

7th Shannon McCurley (IRELAND)