WATCH: Forres cyclist Lauren Bell is a double British champion after claiming two golds at the British National Track Championships at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester
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What a weekend it was for Forres cyclist Lauren Bell at the British National Track Championships in Manchester.
The 24-year-old former Forres Academy pupil won gold in both of her events, the women's sprint and kierin, repeating her British title double of 2020.
Bell told British Cycling she felt "mentally refreshed" after her victories and was thrilled with her experience at the home of the sport in the UK, the National Cycling Centre.
Racing for Team Inspired, she was undefeated in the women’s sprint after qualifying with the fastest time - the only rider to finish in under 11 seconds.
She comfortably negotiated the opening rounds to reach the semi-finals where she claimed two wins against junior rider Georgette Rand (Velo Club Lincoln).
Standing in Bell's way of the sprint gold was 2022 champion and team-mate Rhian Edmunds, and the Scot powered clear for the victory.
Bell told British Cycling: “I came in here with the goal of just enjoying riding my bike and having fun, the crowd in Manchester certainly helped that – they were amazing.
“So many times you go to races and there is so much pressure on you, so it’s nice to come here, try new things and just enjoy myself. Even with the selection process hotting up, I’m just trying to focus on myself and take each day as it comes.”
Her focus was switched to the women's kierin the following day and she did not disappoint.
Six riders lined up in the final and it was once again Bell and Edmunds battling it out for the gold going into the bell lap, with Bell just edging out her club colleague.
“I wanted to go into the race having learnt something, I decided to try some different things and I learned the keirin hurts!" she said after the race.
“I think I needed to have a race like this to just enjoy myself with the crowd and have fun riding my bike and feel mentally refreshed.”
Last year, Bell won silver at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow in the women's team sprint.
She also won a European Championships team silver, having claimed her first world championships medal in 2022 with bronze, also in the team sprint.
