Irish international road and track rider, Alice Sharpe, has gotten Northern Ireland's cycling campaign off to a strong start at the Commonwealth Games in England.
The national road race champion was the only rider to compete on the track for Northern Ireland after JB Murphy and Lydia Boylan both had to forego their places in the last fortnight due to injury and were not replaced.
Sharpe took a very strong 5th place in the scratch race in the Lee Valley velodrome in London yesterday. The gold medal was won by England's Laura Trott from Michaela Drummond of New Zealand and Canada's Maggie Coles-Lyster.
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That race concluded Sharpe's track campaign as she had been in action on Sunday in the points race, taking an aggressive approach early in the contest when she went on the attack with Canadian rider Ariane Bonhomme.
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While they gained a gap of about half a lap, and carved up the points from two sprints, they did not take a full lap on the main field and were eventually caught. As the race progressed a group went off the front, gaining a lap, and from which the medals were taken.
Australia's Georgia Baker won gold on 55 points with Scotland's Neah Evans winning silver, on 36 points, and Welsh rider Eluned King claiming bronze on 32 points. Sharpe scored six points to place 11th.
The Northern Irish rider had gotten her track campaign started in the qualifying round of the individual pursuit on Friday, placing 9th in a time of 3:33.000.
