The Lowveld cycling legend, Walter Thornhill (70), won a bronze medal at the 2023 Masters Track World Championships at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, England on October 3. This despite having technical issues with his bike.

Thornhill is taking part in the championships from September 30 to October 7. He is the only South African competing at the championships and had to pay his own way as, according to him, their was no support for the South Africans who qualified for the international event from South Africa cycling authorities or national government.

In the men’s 70 to 74 500m time trial on October 3, with each competitor doing two laps of the velodrome, Thornhill claimed third place.

The gold medal winner was Marc Bangleterre from France. Second place went to another Frenchman, Jean Louis Duble.

Just .331 seconds separated first and third place.

ALSO READ: 2023/24 swimming season kick-off at Van Riebeeck Park in Mbombela

Thornhill was in the fifth pairing to start and recorded the fastest time of the 10 cyclists who had finished their time trials at that point. He froze the stopwatch on 39.291 seconds.

Duble was in the following pairing and completed his time trial in 39.137 seconds, relegating Thornhill to second place.

Bangleterre was in the event’s final grouping. He clocked a gold-medal winning time of 38.960 seconds to move Duble to second and Thornhill to third place.

Thornhill competed in the men’s 70 to 74 scratch race on Monday October 2. He finished 10th.

On Thursday October 7 Thornhill qualified third fastest for the men’s sprint qualifying. His time was 13.196 seconds, breaking his own South African record by .494 seconds. He fell out of the competition in the quarter-finals on the same day.

“I have no doubt I could have gone faster in my races,” Thornhill said in a WhatsApp interview on October 4.

At the championships, Thornhill has been his own bicycle mechanic, trainer, manager and technical advisor, whereas the other national teams have large support staff components.

“I had flex in my bike’s chain and could feel the bearings were not as they should be. I do not have the technical team back-up that other riders have. I had to try and solve my own technical issues and source my own parts for the bike. Had I had an expert team that prepared my bicycle for me like the other riders I believe I can have done even better,” he said.

The Lowvelder has thoroughly enjoyed the championships.

“The atmosphere is amazing and despite having to pay my own way to be here, I am proud to represent my country. It’s lovely to be recognised here as a South African by so many people. Some of the other riders who beat me consider me a rookie. ‘No way, I said. You will se me again‘,” he said.

• Thornhill, competing in the 65 to 69 Vets Masters category, won six gold medals at the 2022 South African Championships held in Cape Town in March last year.

• Read more in the October 12 print version of Lowvelder.