Track Cycling National Championships 2026 – UK 🇬🇧 [SESSION 6]

February 22, 2026

Track Cycling – National Championships 2026 – United Kingdom 🇬🇧 – DAY 3 Session 2 – National Cycling Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom

The 2026 Lloyds National Track Championships are currently taking place at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, running from Thursday, February 19, to Sunday, February 22. This year marked a significant expansion with the addition of a Thursday session, making it a four-day event where Britain’s top cyclists compete for the iconic red, white, and blue national champion jerseys

Erin Boothman became one of the youngest ever solo national champions, taking top spot in a dramatic women’s points race on a frantic final day of action at the Lloyds National Track Championships.

Olympic medallists Emma Finucane and Matthew Richardson took the women’s sprint and men’s keirin titles respectively, while Jody Cundy, Rebecca Newark and Jacob Smith took the mixed team sprint title, and Ben Marsh was crowned men’s point champion.

Women’s Elimination

Erin Boothman secured her first solo national title in thrilling fashion as she won a spectacular elimination race ahead of pre-race favourites Anna Morris and Katie Archibald.

Boothman, just 18 years old, raced almost to perfection for the duration, staying at the head of the pack to avoid any scares, looking cool under pressure throughout but then let her emotions pour out as she headed into the home straight with a clear advantage, celebrating wildly as she crossed the line.

Morris came back in incredible fashion to finish second following a large crash just past the midway stage of the race, but was no match for Boothman in the final sprint, the incident perhaps taking a toll. Archibald meanwhile was third, fading towards the final laps.

Speaking at the podium, Boothman said:

“I think it’s super special, it’s my first year stepping up to the senior ranks, so winning is not something you expect to do. I know I had okay form from the IP but in the elimination race, anything can happen, so once you finally finish and you know you’ve won, it’s so special and the emotions just come out.

“When Anna pinned me at the top with a lap to go I really thought she had me, I didn’t know how I would get out of that situation, but we came down with three quarters to go and she hadn’t gone yet, so I thought I may as well go, I almost couldn’t believe I got the gap.”

Women’s Sprint

Adorning the European bands, Emma Finucane showed her quality as she dominated her gold medal match against Iona Moir to reclaim the national title.

Following on from a superb gold in the team sprint and keirin, the Welsh athlete made it three from three with a commanding display over the best of Britain in the sprints. She had to be on her A game all day, qualifying fastest in the morning qualifiers, before beating Edmund over three races in the semi-finals. In the gold medal ride, she was utterly dominant winning 2-0 to make her way back to the top of the podium for the last time at these Championships.

The bronze medal went to Rhian Edmunds after a comfortable 2-0 win over Rhianna Parris-Smith in their match up. Races one and two followed a similar pattern with Edmund swooping down on the final lap and stagnating any fight backs from her opponent to earn her place on the podium.

On collecting her third gold medal of the week, Finucane said:

“It was really good, it’s always really tough to race your teammates. Sometimes they do really tactical things or maybe you think it’ll be a bit easier than it actually is. It’s been a long few days and I’m really excited to get my third jersey of the championships. For me, I’m really motivated and determined to win and win well. I always enjoy racing here and I’m really proud of it.”

Men’s Keirin

Matthew Richardson defended his keirin title with aplomb after an exhibition performance in the men’s final, going early with two laps to go and holding on to take the final title of the Championships.

The reigning champion had earlier won his semi-final with ease, and it was much more of the same in the final as he moved out of the group with two laps remaining to open up a huge margin before cruising away to his third national title of the event.

Hamish Turnbull held off a spirited attack by William Munday to round off the podium places. Semi-final two winner Marcus Hiley withdrew from the final after a crash just after the finish line in that semi.

A delighted Richardson said: “It’s three from three here, and six from six this year, so I am very happy. My plan was to get out of trouble, get ahead, and don’t look back, so making that move was quite a display of speed.

“National Championships is always really fun to race in front of the crowds here, and my results here are really encouraging as we move towards LA.”

Mixed Team Sprint

The Trio, featuring Jody Cundy, Rebecca Newark and Jacob Smith took top spot in the mixed team sprint, with Newark and Smith retaining their national champion jersey.

Coming in as the fastest qualifiers, The Trio capitalised on some bad luck falling on End-Enduro, consisting of Archie Atkinson, Crystal Lane-Wright and Matthew Robertson to race across the line uncontested after an issue on the lead off saw Robertson unclip after a couple of pedal strokes.

A tight bronze medal match saw More Mods than Watts, consisting of Callum Deboys, Elisabeth Simpson and Christopher Scott clinch the final podium position.

Men’s Points Race

Ben Marsh produced one of the shocks of the event, taking an unexpected national champion title in thrilling style, amidst the chaos of a fast-paced and enthralling race.

From the very start, a group consisting of Marsh, Will Roberts, Leon Atkins and Will Salter looked to lay down a marker, aiming to gain a lap as quick as possible, which they achieved just after they secured the second set of sprint points.

After the third lap, a breakaway formed that would set the course of the race, consisting of Matt Bostock, Charlie Tanfield, Ben Wiggins and Oliver Wood. Achieving the points just after the fifth sprint, Tanfield and Wiggins would go on to achieve another lap, with Marsh and Perrett also doing the double shortly after.

With an already healthy lead after his early heroics, Marsh was able to hold on and top the points table for his first national champion jersey. Tanfield finished in second, while Wiggins came home with the bronze.

Speaking after his win, Marsh said:

“Its been a pretty emotional last hour. I just raced almost without thinking. I come into events like this with a plan so I guess this time, coming in without one, actually helped. I just knew I had to get ahead before riders like Perrett and Wiggins, the engines, had a chance to get too far ahead and I just about did that.”