The TV commentator said that Evie Richards applied to ride the elite race but was barred from doing so by British Cycling. They were unaware of whether Tom Pidcock had applied to ride up.
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The lap times posted by Pidcock and Richards were faster than their senior counterparts, though clearly the race circumstance plays a part in that, so you can't draw any conclusions other than they would have probably been in the front group...
You can sort of see why Pidcock wasn't permitted to ride up, if that was the case (Junior last year, no U23 title on his palmares, been riding U23 all season), despite being fast enough that he'd almost certainly have won, race circumstance or no.
Richards, on the other hand, had 2 U23 titles already, and has been riding elite this year (and winning). The race could have been even better too, since it could have gone any way, on form.
What's more, it could mean that the GB U23 jersey doesn't get seen this year. The start lists aren't out yet, but such indications as there are seem to imply that Richards is expected to ride Elite at the Worlds (Katie Compton interview, race preview on event website).
P.S. Is this in the right place?
"The Pub - non cycle-related chat", it says.