Some of the best cyclists from Swansea Bay and Carmarthenshire have been named in the Welsh squad for this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Leading the local names is Carmarthen’s Emma Finucane, who returned home a hero after winning gold and two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
She is one of the headline riders in a 19-strong Welsh track and para-track squad named by governing body Beicio Cymru, and goes to Glasgow as a favourite in the sprint, keirin and team sprint.
The 23-year-old, who was awarded an MBE last year and set a new world record earlier this year, will be joined in the women’s team sprint by Rhian Edmunds and Lowri Thomas — the trio aiming to better the bronze they won together at Birmingham 2022.
(Image: SWpix.com / Simon Wilkinson)
Another Carmarthen rider, Jess Roberts, who won Olympic bronze in Paris, lines up in the women’s team pursuit alongside Anna Morris and Megan Barker.
There is a strong Carmarthenshire flavour to the men’s squad too. Rory Gravelle, from Carmarthen, will make his Commonwealth Games debut at 19, after winning team pursuit silver at both the junior World and European Championships.
(Image: SWpix.com / Alex Whitehead)
From Llandysul comes Steffan Lloyd, who grew up dreaming of playing rugby for Wales before switching to the bike — and went on to guide James Ball to Paralympic gold in Paris as his tandem pilot. He now steps up for Glasgow as a track rider in his own right.
Flying the flag for Swansea is William Roberts, from Gorseinon, who already knows what Commonwealth success feels like.
Roberts, who learned his craft with Bynea CC, won bronze in the scratch race at Birmingham 2022 — a high that came just two days after the crushing disappointment of finishing fourth in the team pursuit. He returns for Glasgow in the endurance events.
There is a neat local thread running through the squad: Finucane, Jess Roberts and Rory Gravelle all started out at the same grassroots club, Towy Riders, on the outdoor velodrome in Carmarthen.
The wider squad is packed with pedigree. Nine of the 19 riders are world champions, and six are medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.
The selection also leans on youth, with five teenagers named — among them 18-year-old Ioan Hepburn, the squad’s youngest rider, who was talent-spotted on an exercise bike at the Usk Agricultural Show less than three years ago and is now a junior world champion.
Beicio Cymru director of sport Darren Tudor said Wales continued to punch above its weight in world cycling.
“Wales may be a small nation, but, year after year, Welsh riders are performing and excelling on the world stage,” he said.
“The riders selected for Glasgow 2026 are a mix of incredibly talented and established athletes as well as some very exciting rising stars including five teenagers.”
He said most of the squad had come through Beicio Cymru’s talent pathway and the country’s grassroots club network.
The riders will be among 114 athletes representing Wales across 10 sports at the Games.
Four years ago in Birmingham, Welsh cyclists took seven medals — the nation’s strongest ever return in Commonwealth Games cycling.
The track and para-track events take place across four days at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow, from 30 July to 2 August, with 26 medals up for grabs.
Closer to home, the bike is firmly in the spotlight this summer too, with Swansea gearing up to host the sold-out Ironman 70.3 triathlon next month.
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