GB cyclists' horror flight home from the European Track Championships
"There were people being sick, people were saying we were going to die," recalled Andy Tennant.
Britain's cyclists may have cleaned up at the European Track Championships in Guadeloupe, but they made a bit of a mess on a horror flight home.
Flying home via Paris last Tuesday, their Air France plane undertook three aborted landings at Manchester Airport in strong crosswinds, before it was forced to head south and land in less challenging conditions at Gatwick.
"If you look really closely, you’ll see me in the video [above] about 10 rows back throwing up. It was horrible," recalled endurance squad rider Elinor Barker, who added that she "normally isn't a bad flyer."
Andy Tennant, who took two golds in Guadeloupe, did not suffer nausea but recalled what life was like onboard.
"There were people being sick, others were saying we were going to die," he said. "The cabin was a right mess afterwards.
"I wasn’t too bothered – if we were going to go down, as long as it nosedived and ended pretty quickly, that would have been OK!"
To make matters worse, Tennant and team-mate Ed Clancy's luggage was misplaced, meaning the pair had to hire a van to complete the journey to the north west.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"We got back at 2am in the morning, basically 24 hours after we had set off," added Tennant.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.
-
Romain Grégoire descends to take Tour de Suisse opening stage win
The 22 year-old Frenchman attacked the day’s final descent in pouring rain to win from a huge breakaway take the overall lead
-
Tadej Pogačar wins the Critérium du Dauphiné as Lenny Martinez bags the final stage at Plateau du Mont-Cenis
Pogačar lays down a Tour de France marker, comfortably resisting a late attack from Jonas Vignegaard to take the overall honours
-
British Cycling 'optimistic' about the future of the Tours of Britain
After stepping in to rescue the events last year, the men's and women's Tours of Britain are now central to plans to increase cycling participation, says British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton
-
'Alive and well' - British Paralympian found after going missing in Las Vegas
Sam Ruddock hadn't been heard from in 11 days, but has now been located
-
Teenage British time-trial champion dies after training ride collision with car driver
360Cycling “absolutely heartbroken” after death of 18-year-old Aidan Worden in Darwen, Lancashire
-
Tour of Britain races boosted local economies by £30 million
YouGov data shows significant impact both the men’s and women’s national tours had on host towns across the country
-
No new investment for National Series in British Cycling task force update
Road and circuit series funding to continue at around £180,000
-
British Cycling receives record £39m funding for 2028 Olympics and Paralympics
GB performance director 'incredibly pleased' with allocation for Los Angeles Games
-
British Cycling sees 11% decline in membership in less than two years
Governing body focused on revenue growth after another year in the red
-
South west round of the British National Road Series an exciting chance to showcase an 'under-represented' region, say local riders and organisers
British Cycling announced last week that National Road and Circuit series will visit the south west of England in 2025