Cycling: Youngster reveals Olympic ambitions after super silver show
PAIGE Milward produced a barnstorming performance to take the silver medal in the under-16s Madison event at the British Cycling Track Championships.
The Lyme Racing Club (Swinnerton Cycles) youngster was paired with Lauren O'Brien (RST RT) to record the most significant achievement yet of her fledgling career.
Grace Garner and Abby Mae Parkinson (RST-Trigon) took gold after winning all four sprints in the 80-lap event at the Manchester velodrome.
However, Milward, aged 15, was delighted with second place, and has lofty ambitions for the next few chapters of her young career.
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The Painsley Catholic College student from Cheadle said: "You really have to trust each other in the Madison because you're swinging each other around at a fair speed. You fly around the track.
"It's capped a really good season for me and hopefully after this I can get a team, perhaps in Holland or Belgium, or get on the Olympic development programme.
"That's the overall target, to make the Olympics team for 2020, and I'm going to give it everything to get there.
"I'm not sure whether in the long-term I will be racing on the road or the track, but there is more racing on the road so that will probably be my focus for now."
Milward's latest stellar performance came after she excelled at last month's European Junior Cycling Tour, in Assen in the Netherlands, when she spent a day wearing the leaders' white jersey in the under-16s girls race.
Dave Tatton, her step-father, said: "She's doing fantastic, and on the road as well as on the track.
"In the European youth tour she won the white jersey on one day against about 920 other kids. She's proving to be a skilful rider. She can position herself well in the bunch.
"She's brave, too. Some girls back off going around corners, but not Paige. She's probably the best corner handler in youth racing, and that's including the boys.
"It would be great to one day see her in the Olympic Games, and she has got a few years yet to get up to that level. It's looking very promising at the moment."
Milward's Lyme club-mate Becky Gray, who is from Wistaston, was first in the Youth Super Criterium race organised in conjunction with the Birmingham Cycle Show.
THE Lyme team of Barry Charlton and Will Corden were second fastest in the Warrington Road Club two-up 25-mile time trial on the Chelford circuit.
Their time of 54mins 6secs pushed the Preston team of John Morgan and Paul Fleming into third place, 50secs adrift.
The event was won by Manchester Wheelers' Scott Burns and Simon Bridge (52.33).
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