Britain is not renowned for weeks of sunshine and high temperatures but some areas could be mistaken for the Costa del Sol after another week of hot weather. For many, the sunshine is a good excuse for a BBQ but for others it is more of a nuisance. The worst outcome of all is the fires that have been spreading uncontrollably over moorland, with the Saddleworth fire near Manchester the most devastating.
The hot weather also makes it difficult for athletes to perform to their usual standards, although it does not appear to have had too much of a negative impact on cycling sisters Hannah and Alice Barnes in the recent time trials for the British National Championships 2018.
Barnes sisters make sub-40 minute times
Hannah finished just before Alice and the pair were a long distance ahead of the rest, with Hannah averaging a speed of 45kmh. The siblings both managed a sub-40 minute time (39:38 and 39:55), with Neah Evans (41:15) finishing in third place in the scorching Northumberland countryside. Emma Lewis took fourth, and Fusion RT Veloperformance team mate Molly Patch fifth. Olympic champion Dani Rowe came in at sixth and Dame Sarah Storey seventh.
Hannah Barnes beats sister Alice to British time trial title
Evans wraps up the podiumhttps://t.co/rljH4PDauL pic.twitter.com/cKwb3xVwXM
— Cyclingnews.com (@Cyclingnewsfeed) June 29, 2018
Early morning start for the women’s British Cycling Championship race
This weekend the temperatures will be high again but the consolation for the women’s race is that they start off at 8.45am when it will be cooler than the midday 1pm start for the men. The Barnes sisters have set the pace for an exciting British Cycling Championship but the race is open to a number of the riders, including Olympic gold medallist Elinor Barker.
Where is it taking place and is it live on TV?
The women’s race is 106km, entailing three laps of a circuit that takes the riders through Stamfordham village which is situated about 20km west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The race will be streamed live on Facebook and is also on ITV, so if you are not heading to the event this weekend, you can still enjoy the action.
