Latest news with #NeahEvans
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Living legacy' Evans dreaming of Glasgow Games
Neah Evans wanted to be a showjumper, but an injury to her horse prevented her riding. So she took up fell running instead, only for anaemia to curtail her early 20s, feeling gloomy and losing her love for sport, the veterinary student grudgingly accepted dad Malcolm's surprise booking of a 'give it a go' cycling session at the Sir Chris Hoy who had cycled as a child, had never been on a bike without brakes. She'd never used clip-in pedals. She'd never even been inside a velodrome. But with Glasgow 2014 looming and the track - built for the event - open to the public, she found herself making a decision that would change her life."I almost just went to appease my dad, but it was a sliding doors moment because I absolutely loved it and everything just snowballed," she tells BBC Sport how. Evans is speaking in that same velodrome 11 years later as the owner of world and European golds, as well as silvers from two separate Olympics and four Commonwealth Games the track beside her, members of the public can still borrow a bike and helmet and have a go just like she did. And one day they might even end up like her. "If it wasn't for Glasgow 2014, and this place hadn't been built, I wouldn't be a cyclist," says Evans, who confesses that her "lively" student lifestyle took precedence over attending any events at those Games."When people talk about legacy and those buzzwords, I normally kind of go, 'oh yeah, does it actually work?'. But I'm living proof that it could change your life."Not that it happened immediately for Evans, who still readily describes herself as "an accidental athlete".Cycling remained a hobby while she qualified and worked as a vet. And it was only a year before the Gold Coast Games of 2018 that she became a full-time went to Australia as part of Team Scotland expecting to discover she wasn't good enough to be a professional and destined for a life working with animals. But Evans won silver and bronze and suddenly a whole new career opened up in front of her. "I was like 'huh, I'm quite good at this'," she recalls. "It was a turning point. That's why the Commonwealth Games are really special for me because I can pinpoint that as when I transitioned from being a vet who did a bit of cycling to seeing myself as a cyclist." With all that in mind, the Games returning to Glasgow next summer will mark a particular high point for the wake of a second successful Olympics, the 34-year-old's focus has switched to road racing for this season. It has not gone well, with a succession of calamities befalling her, but she will be back on the boards next competed - and won - at the worlds in Glasgow in 2023, she knows what the sights, sounds and smells of the event will be and is using those memories to propel her through the her ongoing struggles."When you're faced with a four-hour bike ride in the rain and don't really fancy it, you think, 'come on, the Games are coming up' and that keeps you going," she says."It's still at the dream stage just now - standing on the top step hearing the anthem - but you know the work you do now is going to have an impact."
The Guardian
16-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Four-stage 2025 Women's Tour of Britain set for northern England and Scotland
The 2025 women's Tour of Britain will go ahead in northern England and the Scottish Borders in early June, despite speculation that this year's event was in difficulty. Buoyed by news that the men's and women's Tour de France will start in Britain in 2027, this summer's four-day women's race will start in Yorkshire on 5 June and end in Glasgow four days later. The opening two stages will take in Dalby Forest, the North York Moors national park and the Tees Valley, before heading to the Scottish Borders on stage three, before the final stage on a city-centre circuit in Glasgow. The Scottish rider Neah Evans said: 'I started my cycling journey after a taster session at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome so Glasgow is a special place to me for that.' Jonathan Day, managing director of British Cycling Events, said: 'We have first visits for the race to Dalby Forest and the North York Moors national park, from where we will race through North Yorkshire and into the Tees Valley. 'Saltburn Bank as a stage finish [stage two] will prove very popular with fans,' Day added. Saltburn's 15% gradients have featured in past editions of the men's Tour of Britain and have hosted the British national championships. The Belgian rider Lotte Kopecky, winner of the world road race title in Glasgow in 2023, is expected to defend her title, while the sport's highest-paid rider, Demi Vollering of the Netherlands, and 2024 Tour de France champion, Polish star Kasia Niewadoma, are also potential starters. The continued growth of women's cycling is reflected by both the unprecedented status of Vollering, as a Nike ambassador and the highest earner in the women's peloton, and steady growth in rider salaries, allied to reports that global revenues from women's elite sport will reach at least £1.88bn this year. Detailed route information for both the men's and women's Tours of Britain will be announced later in the spring. Meanwhile, the host towns for the men's Tour of Britain, scheduled for 2 to 7 September, have yet to be announced and details remain scant. Both races will be directed by Rod Ellingworth, formerly of Team Sky and Ineos Grenadiers, now also working as a senior manager at the Bahrain Victorious on the UCI World Tour.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Evans seeks Glasgow glory after 2014 Games inspiration
Neah Evans says it would be "incredible" to go for gold at next year's Glasgow Commonwealth Games since she is "part of the legacy" of the 2014 event in the city. The 34-year-old two-time Olympic silver medallist has enjoyed a glittering career on the cycling track, winning a raft of major medals at World, European and Commonwealth level. She claimed silver at Tokyo 2020 as part of the women's team pursuit and the same medal four years later alongside Elinor Barker in the women's madison. Evans did not take the sport up full time until 2017 but says what happened in Glasgow three years earlier was pivotal to her journey. "When we have got major championships a lot of things get bandied about like legacy and inspiring other people and I always find them a bit like buzzwords," she explained. "But realistically I would never have got into track cycling if it hadn't been for the Commonwealth Games in 2014. "They built the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome and that's where I first did my track accreditation - I did a taster session. "When I went to it, I was very much not a cyclist. I had never been on a fixed-gear bike, I had never had clip-in pedals, never been inside a velodrome. So I am part of the legacy of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. "To go back and race it 12 years later, it would be absolutely incredible to come away with a gold medal. I know it is going to be difficult, the track events are very hotly contested, but it is a major target for me next season." This year, however, the Aberdeenshire racer will concentrate on the road to "move out of her comfort zone a little bit". Riding for the Handsling Alba Development Team, Evans - the daughter of Ros, who represented Team GB at the 1984 Winter Olympics at cross-country skiing - hopes to scratch what she admits is a competitive itch. Evans explains that British Cycling tends to focus on developing younger riders after an Olympic cycle, so she will not get the same number of opportunities on the track. "So it made perfect sense to challenge myself and really focus on the road, which I have never actually done," she added. "Although I have done a few road races over the years, it has never been a target, it has never been what I have trained for and there has always been this unknown of 'what could I do?' because I picked up one or two results along the way. "I do believe there is potential to be successful. It is quite a big ask, but it is nice to have a different challenge, it is going to keep things fresh. "It's a bit of a no-lose situation because I do have the spot with British Cycling. If it doesn't succeed then it has been a fun year and I go back to the track. "If it does work wonderfully well then I will have a rethink and decide how I am going to juggle road racing and track racing."
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Evans seeks Glasgow glory after 2014 Games inspiration
Neah Evans says it would be "incredible" to go for gold at next year's Glasgow Commonwealth Games since she is "part of the legacy" of the 2014 event in the 34-year-old two-time Olympic silver medallist has enjoyed a glittering career on the cycling track, winning a raft of major medals at World, European and Commonwealth did not take the sport up full time until 2017 but says what happened in Glasgow three years earlier was pivotal to her journey."When we have got major championships a lot of things get bandied about like legacy and inspiring other people and, I will be honest, I always find them a bit like buzzwords, but realistically I would never have got into track cycling if it hadn't been for the Commonwealth Games in 2014," she explained."They built the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome and that's where I first did my track accreditation - I did a taster session."When I went to it, I was very much not a cyclist. I had never been on a fixed-gear bike, I had never had clip in pedals, never been inside a velodrome. So I am part of the legacy of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. "To go back and race it 12 years later, it would be absolutely incredible to then come away with a gold medal. I know it is going to be difficult, the track events are very hotly contested, but it is a major target for me next season." Hitting the road is 'no-lose situation' This year, however, the Aberdeenshire racer will concentrate on the road to "move out of her comfort zone a little bit".Riding for the Handsling Alba Development Team, she hopes to scratch what she admits is a competitive explains that British Cycling tends to focus on developing younger riders after an Olympic cycle, so she will not get the same number of opportunities on the track."So it made perfect sense to challenge myself and really focus on the road, which I have never actually done," she added."Although I have done a few road races over the years, it has never been a target, it has never been what I have trained for and there has always been this unknown of 'what could I do?' because I picked up one or two results along the way."I do believe there is potential to be successful. It is quite a big ask, but it is nice to have a different challenge, it is going to keep things fresh."It's a bit of a no-lose situation because I do have the spot with British Cycling. If it doesn't succeed then it has been a fun year and I go back to the track. If it does work wonderfully well then I will have a rethink and decide how I am going to juggle road racing and track racing."
