Sarah Storey added to her haul of global titles on a great day for Great Britain’s Para-riders at the 2024 Road and Para-cycling World Championships in Switzerland.
The 46-year-old beat British team-mate Morgan Newberry, 25, into second place to retain her women’s C5 road race title in Zurich on Saturday.
Fran Brown claimed gold as the only rider in the C1 category, while fellow GB rider Daphne Schrager won a sprint for silver in the C2 race in which team-mate Amelia Cass finished fourth.
Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky dedicated her win in the elite women’s road race to Swiss rider Muriel Furrer, who died from head injuries sustained in a crash during the women’s junior road race on Thursday.
“I want to bring my condolences to the family of Muriel,” said 28-year-old Kopecky.
“With the minute’s silence at the start, seeing the Swiss riders crying is something you just don’t want to see. I think it is a very hard moment for them.”
Kopecky produced a sprint finish to retain the title she won in Glasgow in 2023.
The United States’ Chloe Dygert was second and Italy’s Elisa Longo-Borghini third in the 154.1km race.
Anna Henderson was the first British rider home in 21st place, four minutes 19 seconds behind Kopecky, with Alice Towers 32nd and Elinor Barker 61st.Earlier, Switzerland’s Flurina Rigling had delivered an emotional tribute to Furrer after winning the C2 race by more than three minutes from Britain’s Schrager.
“It was a super-tough race in the rain, but it was also mentally super-tough because of Muriel,” she said. “We really thought of her – we did the race for her and it makes me so proud that I am able to achieve this for her in front of the home crowd.”
In the C5 race, Storey pulled away from the field on the opening climb of the day before completing the rain-drenched 70.2km course in one hour 55 minutes 28 seconds, more than seven minutes ahead of the field.
Victory followed Storey’s win on Sunday in the C4-C5 individual time trial, and repeated the road and time-trial double she won in Glasgow last year.
“My season is a dream come true,” said Storey, who also won the road race and time-trial at the Paralympic Games in Paris last month.
“This is the 10th time that I have won the double – I am over the moon.”
The championships finish on Sunday, with the final day’s competition including the men’s road race, which will be shown live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
