Archibald wins Champs League in London

Brit cements her place atop track hierarchy, reports Vern Pitt

- Vern Pitt

As Katie Archibald powered past Kirsten Wild in the back straight of the final race of the Track Champions League, Wild sat up. It felt like the baton had been passed from one track great to another.

Wild, a seven-time world champion on the track, was racing her last professional race before retirement and had run Archibald close, but it was the near faultless Scotswoman who came out on top in the inaugural series. In the process she cemented her claim to be the rightful heir to Wild’s crown as the endurance track rider who commands the most fear among her rivals. Of a potential points haul of 160 across the series, Archibald scored 145 by winning five of the eight races and placing on the podium in two others. Wild scored 100 points.

The series had been set to consist of six rounds but was reduced to five before the competition began last month in Majorca and was further reduced last week when the resurgence of the pandemic meant the final round, which had been scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv, Israel, this weekend, had to be axed.