The Great Britain (GB) women’s and men’s team sprinters both took silver on Sunday, the opening day of the UEC Track Elite European Championships in Turkey.
The women’s team of Lauren Bell, Rhianna Parris-Smith, and Lowri Thomas looked strong in qualifying and easily saw off the Czech Republic in round one.
Olympic champion Sophie Capewell came in for Bell for the final against Germany, and although the GB trio led after two of the three laps in Konya, they were overhauled late on.
The Germans clocked 45.710 seconds, with the British trio 0.003 seconds back.
Harry Radford, Joe Truman, and Matt Richardson guided the GB men to the top spot in qualifying and a comprehensive first-round win over Belgium.
Olympic silver medallist Hamish Turnbull replaced Radford for the final against France, and despite a huge drive from Richardson to close the gap, the French crossed the line 0.006secs ahead.
Elsewhere, the women’s team pursuit quartet of Josie Knight, Anna Morris, Kate Richardson, and Millie Couzens finished third in qualifying, while the men’s team of Oliver Wood, Matthew Bostock, Henry Hobbs, and Ben Wiggins were second, with both teams in action again on Monday.
