GREAT BRITAIN claimed gold in the men’s team pursuit at the European Track Cycling Championships in the Netherlands, while the women’s team had to settle for silver.

The squad of Dan Bigham, Ethan Hayter, Ethan Vernon, Ollie Wood and Charlie Tanfield edged out world champions Denmark with a time of three minutes 45.218 seconds to win by a margin of 1.154secs.

It was a first team pursuit European title in nine years for Britain, with Italy taking bronze ahead of Germany.

European success will also boost hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympics, having seen them dented following a crash which prematurely ended Britain’s home world championships in Glasgow last August.

Vernon said: “It is one of the last races we will do against the guys here, so it is nice to take a good time and take some confidence going into Paris.

“A few of us are going off onto the road now with our teams, so we are not going to be back together for a few months.

“It was nice to have a high like that before we go off and do our own things for a bit, then come back for the last Nations Cup … I think it will get better going into Paris.”

The British women’s team pursuit squad of Josie Knight, Meg Barker, Anna Morris, Jess Roberts and Neah Evans took away a silver medal as the world champions were beaten by Italy.

Barker, who claimed a first European medal, said: “When you lose the gold ride off, it takes a second to realise you have still won silver, so we will look back and be really happy with it.”

Joe Truman finished fourth in the men’s one kilometre time trial final. Matteo Bianchi took gold for Italy ahead of Dutchman Daan Kool, with Melvin Landerneau winning bronze for France by just 0.037secs.

World champion Emma Finucane will look to stay on course to add the European individual sprint title after reaching the semi-finals.

Finucane controlled her quarter-final against French rider Marie Divine Taky Kouame to progress 2-0 and will next face Mathilde Gros for a chance to ride for gold.

Sophie Capewell was edged out 2-1 by Germany’s Emma Hinze, while Sophie Lewis finished 13th in the women’s scratch race.

Hayter, who missed out in Glasgow having been unable to recover from a broken collarbone, was back on the track again for the men’s Madison alongside Mark Stewart as they finished seventh.