Sarah Storey wins remarkable 38th para-cycling world title

Dame Sarah Storey won her 38th career para-cycling world title at the UCI World Championships on Sunday, storming to victory in the C5 individual time trial. 

The Brit commanded her way around the 29.9km course in Zurich, Switzerland winning by one minute and 36 seconds ahead of France's Heïdi Gaugain, and claiming her country's first gold medal of the event. 

A former swimmer, the 46-year-old has won 44 world titles across her sporting career, 38 of which have come in cycling disciplines, including time trials, road races and track events. 

Earlier this month, Storey, GB's most decorated Paralympian of all time, won her 18th and 19th Paralympic gold medals, taking the double in the C5 time trial and C4-5 road race at the Paris Games. 

"It feels mega, absolutely mega," she said of her latest triumph. "I didn't have any preconceptions about how this morning would go. Obviously everything went so perfectly at the Paralympic Games in Paris two weeks ago, and I just hoped my form would stay with me, and that I could ride the rollercoaster of adrenaline."

Storey led through both of the two intermediate time checks in Zurich, building up a 47-second advantage after just 10.4km of racing. She ended up winning comfortably, with an average speed of almost 40km/h.

"Today's the first time I’ve ridden the course on a time trial bike because cancelled flights and challenges meant that the bike wasn’t actually built until late last night. I enjoyed the course on my road bike, and I loved it even more on my time trial bike," she said.

"Obviously I train so hard back at home, which I've been juggling now since I became a mum in 2013, and had a second child in 2017. I've got an incredibly supportive family. My husband and my mum and dad and our two kids are always there with us, and my in-laws as well.

"I'm very fortunate to have that backing, and I like to think I repay them by putting out my best performances on race day." 

Storey will have the chance to go for a 39th cycling world title next Saturday 28 September when she will compete in the C5 road race. 

The 46-year-old's time trial gold was one of three medals earned by British athletes on the second day of competition in Zurich. Sophie Unwin and her pilot Jenny Holl earned silver in the women's tandem time trial, with fellow GB pairing Lora Fachie and Corrine Hall taking bronze. 

The women's tandem time trial was won by Ireland's Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly, the Paralympic silver medallists.