Elinor Jane Barker MBE (born 7 September 1994) is a Welsh road and track racing cyclist, who last rode professionally on the road for UCI Women's Team Drops.[4] Representing Great Britain in international competitions, Barker is an Olympic champion, a three-time World champion and seven-time European champion in the team pursuit, as well as a three-time World champion in the points and scratch races, a World champion in the Madison, a two-time European Madison champion and one time European Elimination race champion. Representing Wales, Barker was also the 2018 Commonwealth Games Points race champion.
Barker was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to cycling.[5][6]
She is the older sister of fellow international cyclist Megan Barker.
Elinor Jane Barker from Heath, Cardiff, is the daughter of Graham Barker, deputy headteacher at St Julian's Comprehensive School in Newport.[7] She has two older siblings, Joe and Harri and a sister, Megan, three years her junior and also a successful racing cyclist.[8] She attended Llanishen High School.[7]
Barker took up cycling with the Maindy Flyers at the age of 10, as a way of getting out of swimming classes.[7][9] She was recruited into British Cycling's Olympic Development Academy,[8] but remained based in Wales until she completed her A-levels in 2013, after which she moved to Manchester to train full-time at Manchester Velodrome.[10]
She became the Junior Time Trial world champion in 2012, completing the 15.6-kilometre (9.7-mile) course in Valkenburg, Netherlands in 22 minutes and 26.29 seconds, beating Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig of Denmark by 35.87 seconds. Subsequently, Barker was named Carwyn James Junior Sportswoman of the Year at the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year awards in 2012.[11]
In 2013, she became a senior world champion for the first time as a member of the team pursuit squad at the UCI Track World Championships.
Barker represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, 2014, winning silver and bronze medals.[12][13]
In September 2014 it was announced that Barker would follow in the footsteps of teammate Laura Trott and join the Matrix Fitness Pro Cycling team for 2015.[14]
At her home world championships in London, Barker was part of the pursuit team along with Ciara Horne, Joanna Rowsell Shand and Trott to claim the bronze medal; after a disappointing qualifying ride.[15] At the 2016 Olympic Games, Barker along with Katie Archibald, Rowsell Shand and Trott claimed the gold medal in the team pursuit in a world record time of four minutes and 10.236 seconds.[16]
Returning to the track after the Olympics, Barker claimed the silver medal at the European Championships.[17] Barker followed this by winning the points race at the world cup in Apeldoorn.[18] Barker then claimed the title at the Six Days of Amsterdam.[19] Barker closed 2016 with success in the national Madison championships alongside Laura Kenny.[20] Starting 2017 Barker finished second in the ominium event and third in the scratch race at the national championships.[21] Barker finished an impressive third in the points race at the world cup event in Los Angeles, despite having just 15 minutes rest after the Madison event.[22] At the Six days series final, despite not winning a race in Mallorca, Barker won the title.[23] At the World Championships, Barker claimed two silver medals, one in the scratch race and the other in the Madison alongside Emily Nelson.[24][25] Barker went on to win her first individual world title in the points race.[26]
For the 2018 season Barker decided to join Wiggle High5,[27] and joined Drops for 2019, after Wiggle High5 folded.
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, Barker took the gold in the points race for Wales, ahead of Scots Katie Archibald and Neah Evans. Barker's win was the first Commonwealth Games title for a Welsh track cyclist since 1990.[28] Later that year she was part of the Team GB squad that took the gold in the team pursuit at the European Track Championships on home ground in Glasgow.[29] At the 2019 Track Cycling World Championships in Pruszków, Barker won the rainbow jersey in the scratch race, her first world title in that discipline.[30]
At the 2020 Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin, Barker won the gold in the points race on the final day of the championships, taking Team GB's only title of the meeting. She was also part of the team that took silver in the team pursuit.[31] Later that year Barker took two titles at the European Track Championships, one as part of the team pursuit squad alongside Katie Archibald, Neah Evans, Laura Kenny and Josie Knight, and an individual gold in the elimination race.[32]
In 2021, Barker was part of the British team that won silver in the women's team pursuit at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics.[33] During the Games she signed a two-year deal to join the Uno-X team from 2022.[34][35] In April 2023, Barker extended her contract with Uno-X until 2027.[36]
Barker revealed in 2019 that she was suffering from endometriosis, which nearly caused her to retire, as well as potentially affecting her chances of having a child.[37] In October 2021 Barker announced that she was pregnant, and had been so when she competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.[38]
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Individual pursuit
Scratch race Individual pursuit, UEC European Junior Championships
Individual pursuit Team pursuit (with Lucy Garner and Amy Roberts) Team pursuit, 2012–13 UCI World Cup, Cali Omnium Individual pursuit
Team pursuit
Team pursuit, UCI World Championships
Team pursuit, UEC European Championships Individual pursuit Points race Team pursuit, 2012–13 UCI World Cup, Aguascalientes Team pursuit, UCI World Championships Team pursuit, Guadalajara Team pursuit, London Points race, London Team pursuit, UEC European Championships Team pursuit, National Championships (With Dani King, Joanna Rowsell and Laura Trott)[39] Points race Scratch race
Team pursuit, UEC European Championships Team pursuit, UCI World Championships Team pursuit, 2015–16 UCI World Cup, Cali
Team pursuit, Olympic Games Points race, Apeldoorn Team pursuit, Hong Kong Madison, National Championships (with Laura Kenny)[20] Scratch race, UEC European Championships Team pursuit, UCI World Championships Points race Scratch race Madison (with Emily Nelson)
Madison (with Ellie Dickinson)
Team pursuit Madison, Pruszków (with Emily Nelson)[40] Omnium Scratch race Team pursuit, UEC European Track Championships Points race, Commonwealth Games
Madison, National Championships (with Katie Archibald) Scratch race, UCI World Championships Points race, UCI World Championships Elimination race Team pursuit (with Katie Archibald, Neah Evans, Laura Kenny and Josie Knight)
Team pursuit, Olympic Games Time trial, UCI World Junior Championships
Time trial, UCI World Junior Championships
Overall Rás na mBan
