GB Cycling’s Liam Phillips and Shanaze Reade take the titles at the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Manchester

Apr 22, 2013

Written by Bart de Jong

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In a display of extreme speed and skill, GB’s Liam Phillips and Shanaze Reade last night (Sat 20th April) claimed the champions’ crown in an adrenaline-fuelled night of racing at the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup Manchester. The Great Britain riders took a clean sweep of wins at the event that saw the world’s top 64 men and 32 women, freshly qualified from yesterday’s (Friday 19th April) time trials, racing 8 abreast, elbow to elbow in a series of elimination races to bid for the UCI Supercross Manchester Champion’s crown.

GB Cycling’s BMX team took to the track in force, with 7 British men and 3 women racing in the motos – the elimination stage where each athlete rides three times against the same opponents, including the Superfinals’ fastest riders, Shanaze Reade and Liam Phillips.

The 64 men started in their 1st, 2nd and 3rd round moto heats with the top 32 fastest average riders moving through to the Men’s Quarterfinals. Of the GB team, Liam Phillips, Tre Whyte,

Kyle Evans and Dan McBride pulled off impressive performances. After a worrying crash in his opening moto, Curtis Manaton did manage to get back on the bike, but that spill cost him a place in the top 32 and with it any chance of a place in the next round.

Thirty-two women started off the Women’s Quarterfinals, with the fastest 16 moving through to the Semis. Shanaze Reade pulled out all the stops, coming first in all three motos, with fellow team-mates, Charlotte Green and Abbie Taylor also flying through.

From the Men’s elite, the quarterfinalists battled it out down to 16, with Liam Phillips crossing the finish line in 29.354 seconds to make it through as the only male GB rider to take to gate against the world’s fastest in the Semi Finals, including Sam Willoughby and the USA’s Connor Fields.

Shanaze Reade put on a fantastic show in the Women’s Semi Finals, with fellow team-mates Abbie Taylor and Charlotte Green missing out on a place in the final. When the time came for the final 8 men and final 8 women to take their places at the start gate for the last race in this opening round of the World Cup, Reade and Phillips didn’t disappoint. Both GB riders started well, taking early leads and finish first to take the World Cup lead in Manchester.

The UCI BMX Supercross World Cup Manchester was brought to the city by British Cycling, Manchester City Council and UK Sport Gold Event Series.