Elinor Barker
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Elinor Jane Barker (born 7 September 1994) is a Welsh racing cyclist, who currently rides on the track for Great Britain and the Welsh Cycling backed Team USN, and on the road for Matrix Fitness Pro Cycling. Barker is a two time world champion in women's team pursuit, having won the three rider version of the event in 2013 for Great Britain with Laura Trott and Dani King, and the extended four rider version in 2014, again with Trott, Katie Archibald and Joanna Rowsell. She is also a reigning European champion in the same event.
On the road, Barker was the 2012 junior world time trial champion.
She won a gold medal in the Team Pursuit at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Early life
Elinor Barker from Heath, Cardiff, is the daughter of Graham Barker, deputy headteacher at St Julian's Comprehensive School in Newport.[3] She has two older siblings, Joe and Harri and a sister, Megan, three years her junior and also a successful racing cyclist.[4] She attended Llanishen High School.[3]
Career
Barker took up cycling with the Maindy Flyers at the age of 10, as a way of getting out of swimming classes.[3][5] She was recruited into British Cycling's Olympic Development Academy,[4] but remained based in Wales until she completed her A-levels in 2013, after which she moved to Manchester to train full-time at Manchester Velodrome.[6]
She became the Junior Time Trial world champion in 2012, completing the 15.6 km course in Valkenburg, Netherlands in 22 minutes and 26.29 seconds, beating Cecille Ludvig of Denmark by 35.87 seconds. Subsequently Barker was named Carwyn James Junior Sportswoman of the Year at the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year awards in 2012.[7]
In 2013, she became a senior world champion for the first time as a member of the team pursuit squad at the UCI Track World Championships.
Barker represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, 2014, winning silver and bronze medals.[8][9]
In September 2014 it was announced that Barker would follow in the footsteps of team-mate Laura Trott and join the Matrix Fitness-Vulpine team for 2015.[10]
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Palmarès
Source:[11]
- 2008
- 3rd Omnium British National Track Championships – Under 14
- 2010
- 2nd Individual pursuit British National Track Championships – Under 16
- 3rd points race British National Track Championships – Junior
- 3rd points race British National Track Championships – Under 16
- 3rd Scratch race British National Track Championships – Under 16
- 2011
- 1st Individual pursuit British National Track Championships – Junior
- 1st Stratford-upon-Avon Team Series
- 1st stage 1 Essex Giro
Individual pursuit European Track Championships – Junior- Time trial UCI Road World Championships – Junior
- 2nd Scratch race British National Track Championships – Junior
- 3rd Points race British National Track Championships – Junior
- 2012
- 1st
Time trial UCI Road World Championships – Junior 
Individual pursuit European Track Championships – Junior- Team pursuit European Track Championships – Junior
- with Amy Roberts & Lucy Garner
- 1st Jubilee Road Race
- 1st Duncan Murray Wines Road Race
- 2nd Hillingdon Grand Prix
- 2nd overall 2 Days of Bedford
- 1st stage 4
- Omnium UCI Track World Championships – Junior
- Individual pursuit UCI Track World Championships – Junior
Team pursuit UCI Track World Championships – Junior
- with Hayley Jones & Amy Roberts
- 2nd Team pursuit 2012–2013 Track World Cup, Cali
- with Ciara Horne & Amy Roberts
- 2013
- 1st Team pursuit UCI Track World Championships
- with Dani King & Laura Trott
- Team pursuit European Track Championships
- 1st Otley Grand Prix
- Individual pursuit European Track Championships – Under-23
- Points race European Track Championships – Under-23
- 3rd Team pursuit 2012–2013 Track World Cup, Aguascalientes
- with Ciara Horne & Amy Roberts
- 2014
- Track Cycling World Championships
- 1st Team pursuit
- 9th Individual pursuit
- 1st
- 2014–15 Track Cycling World Cup
- 1st
Team pursuit, Round 1 (Guadalajara) - 1st Team pursuit, Round 2 (London)
- 3rd
Points race, Round 2 (London)
- 1st
- Commonwealth Games
- 2nd
Points race - 3rd Scratch
- 7th Individual pursuit
- 7th Road time trial
- 2nd
- 1st
Team pursuit, European Track Championships
- 2015
- European Track Championships
- 1st Team pursuit
- 8th Points race
- 1st
- 2nd Team pursuit, Track Cycling World Championships
- 3rd Team pursuit, Round 1 (Cali), 2015–16 Track Cycling World Cup
- 2016
- 1st
Team pursuit, Olympic Games - 1st Points race, Round 2 (Apeldoorn), 2016–17 Track Cycling World Cup
- 2nd Team pursuit, Round 3 (Hong Kong), 2015–16 Track Cycling World Cup
- 3rd Team pursuit, Track Cycling World Championships
- European Track Championships
- 2nd Scratch
- 5th Points race
- 2nd
References
- 1 2 "Elinor Barker: Biography". Glasgow 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ↑ "Individual/Points". British Cycling. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- 1 2 3 Simon Gaskell (18 September 2012). "Cycling gold for Elinor Barker at World Road Championships in Holland". Wales Online.
- 1 2 Chris Sidwells (22 November 2012). "Ride: Elinor Barker in South Wales". Cycling Weekly.
- ↑ Alasdair Fotheringham (19 September 2012). "Cycling: Elinor Barker shows next generation is in very safe hands". The Independent.
- ↑ Robin Scott-Elliot (31 October 2013). "Elinor Barker prepares to complete her education on the track". The Independent.
- ↑ Rebecca Ransom (11 December 2012). "Elinor Barker named Carwyn James Junior Sportswoman of the Year". British Cycling.
- ↑ "Commonwealth Games 2014: Olympic champion Geraint Thomas and world sprint star Becky James head up Welsh cycling team for Glasgow". Wales Online. 9 July 2014.
- ↑ BBC Sport – Glasgow 2014, "Glasgow 2014 day four: Elinor Barker denied gold by Laura Trott", 27 July 2014. Accessed 27 July 2014
- ↑ "Elinor Barker signs to Matrix Fitness-Vulpine for 2015". Cycling Weekly. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ↑ Profile at Cycling Archives
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elinor Barker. |
- Elinor Barker profile at Cycling Archives
- Elinor Barker on Twitter
