Archive October 20, 2025

World championships in track cycling in 2025

Location: Santiago, Chile, Velodromo Penalolen, 22-26 October

At the Track Cycling World Championships in Chile, Great Britain are aiming to win their third straight world title in the women’s team pursuit.

The British team won the Glasgow gold medal in 2023 before successfully defending their title in Denmark in 2024. From October 22 through October 26 in Santiago, the 2025 event will take place.

Maddie Leech will make her World Championship debut after narrowly missing out on the women’s omnium European title earlier this year, while Josie Knight, Jess Roberts, Katie Archibald, Anna Morris, and Megan Barker make their return to aim for gold once more.

Since its inception in 2008, Britain has been the dominant force in the women’s team pursuit, winning eight gold medals, six silvers, and two bronzes without ever capturing a single medal.

Knight says she understands the strain placed on the British team given their ongoing success.

“They established the status of one of the world’s best teams,” they said.

You might be asking yourself, “How did we end up being these people?”

We want to keep up the standard that you set for us thanks to Laura Kenny, Elinor Barker, and Joanna Rowsell.

In addition to claiming seven world titles, Kenny won five gold medals at the Olympics and seven gold at the same time. Rowsell has won five Olympic medals and five world championships.

Whether or not we are the best, Knight remarked. So we just need to take comfort from that and realize that other countries are all looking at us, just like we do them.

We have hope because we can do it a tenth of the time, so we can do it.

It would be really nice to win it three times in a row because it would be something special, despite the fact that I don’t want to jinx anything.

Roberts, who was a member of the 2024 team, predicts a tough Santiago challenge.

Roberts, one of three Welsh riders in the sextet along with Morris and Barker, said, “Everyone is so strong, I guess we’re thinking about other teams as well.”

You’ve got to bring your A-game, really, because the strength in women’s cycling is now extremely high.

The four riding in the team may look different once more with the addition of 22-year-old Leech, but the team are looking forward to it.

With the program we have here at British Cycling, the podium potential, the younger riders, and the coaches, “you know whenever a younger one comes up, they know what they’re doing, they’ve done it,” Knight said.

You can instantly have that trust in them because it was done at a slower speed, so it’s never a trust thing.

It’s just learning how to ride; challenges come with them, but it’s a part of the experience and the team’s beauty.

All women’s endurance team members will compete in individual events in addition to the team pursuit.

Knight will compete for the title in the individual pursuit, but Morris, a fellow GB team member, will be in stark opposition. He has already broken two world records in the event this year.

A reigning world champion in a particular sport has worn the rainbow jersey since 1927, continuing the tradition.

Roberts and Knight haven’t ridden with the rainbow stripes this year because they both took a break from the cycling after the Paris 2024 Olympics.

In front of a home crowd in Glasgow, I won the team pursuit, which occurred a year before the Olympic games, Knight said.

Every time you put those on, it was something special because that was quite a lot of racing.

“I believe that’s what makes cycling so special,” he said.

You won’t see me on the track without them because neither of us has really raced this year, so we’re making the most of it in training.

Roberts shares the sentiment, “I haven’t raced in them, so I’d love to, we’d love to win it again and hopefully actually race in it next year.”

In training, I’m just trying to wear the rainbow jersey, like Josie.

As the team prepares for the Santiago track, there is no end in sight of their goals.

Roberts remarked, “We all want to go and win, that’s what we’re going there for.”

“We’re looking to put three strong rides together that we’re proud of.

When Steve Tandy announces his first squad for the autumn internationals, Steve Tandy will realize how significant his position will be as Wales’ head coach.

Tandy will announce his players for November matches against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa at the Principality Stadium on Tuesday.

Wales, which defeated Japan in a series of 18 Test defeats in Kobe in July, put an end to an 18-game losing streak in the world rankings.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) is expected to make a decision on changes to the professional game by the end of October, so Tandy will also be welcoming the players. There is a lot of uncertainty off the field.

Tandy left Wales in 2018, coming home after serving for six years as the Ospreys’ head coach.

Before moving to Scotland in 2019, he began his coaching career with the Waratahs in Sydney.

In addition, Tandy served on Warren Gatland’s backroom staff for the British and Irish Lions during the summer of 2021.

Tandy made the decision to move back to Wales in July, and he has already met some well-known faces in his new role, including former Ospreys team-mate and Dragons boss Filo Tiatia.

Tiatia, who spent five years playing with the 45-year-old former flanker, said, “I can only speak highly of Tandy, he’s a beautiful man.”

He is a very upbeat coach who is also very compassionate and demanding when things are going wrong.

With all this success, I wish him the best of luck because he can only be good for Wales. He will need support for his four difficult tests.

Tiatia thinks that Tandy will benefit from changing his ways to improve his coaching abilities.

He “added Tiatia,” and “he’s a big learner.” He has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. He wants to continue to improve both himself and those around him.

Steve left his comfort zone and moved on as the Ospreys coach, where he saw opportunities in Australia.

Tandy’s ability to work together is praised by Tiatia as “wonderful,” and the Wales coach has already made efforts to create a spirit of cooperation.

The Wales manager has hired Danny Wilson and Matt Sherratt as permanent assistants for the backroom staff, who have visited the four professional sides frequently.

There is definitely a skill set that many people can learn from, said Tiatia, and Tandy is very good at working with people.

What’s great about this is that Steve and the coaches are attempting to collaborate a little bit more round the clubs.

“It’s amazing to see the Welsh international coaches.” They can learn a little bit more about the coaches and players they are unfamiliar with.

When your Welsh international coaches are seen as both people and people, “it can only be a good thing.”

Aaron Wainwright, the eighth Dragons and Wales player and projected to be one of Tandy’s senior players, echoed Tiatia’s sentiments.

Wainwright said, “Steve entered the room and introduced himself to the group, which I thought was nice.”

I believe it’s important to “get out there and have relationships with the regions.”

Tandy is the first Welshman to lead Wales’ permanent head coach since Gareth Jenkins in 2006, having previously taken over from Graham Henry, Steve Hansen, Gatland, and Wayne Pivac.

This week, Tandy appointed former internationals Rhys Patchell, Dan Lydiate, and Duncan Jones as special coaches on loan from Dragons and Ospreys, who completed their duties.

The trio’s only involvement with the upcoming autumn campaign is with Welshmen or those with knowledge of the Welsh system.

Welsh coaches are crucial, according to Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel.

For Welsh coaches, the opportunity to work at international level is fantastic because you are always striving to be successful.

There are numerous reputable Welsh coaches both domestically and abroad. The more exposure they receive while performing at the highest level will benefit the game as a whole.

*All games take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

Sunday, 9 November – Argentina (15: 10 GMT)

Saturday, 15 November – Japan (17: 40 GMT)

Saturday, 22 November – New Zealand (15: 10 GMT)