By Rob Cole

Ethan Vernon is no ordinary schoolboy.

After all, the Team Wales sprint cyclist has already got a sack full of medals from British and European championships and is now in hot pursuit of a Commonwealth gong on the Gold Coast.

Not bad for a 17-year-old with exams on the horizon, but what really sets him apart from other boys at Bedford School is what he does to get there. No late alarm call, toast on the walk to the bus, or a crafty bit of homework before first lesson.

Instead, he has gone out of his way to make his route to school even longer in order to put in the miles he needs for his cycling career. The youngest member of the Welsh cycling team, he is studying maths, geography and design technology at A-level.

Young Ethan still has another year to go at school and intends to join British Cycling’s Senior Academy when he leaves next year. A former European No.2 in BMX, he took up road and track cycling at 15 and will compete in the Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit and 1km races in Australia.

During his GCSEs, Vernon was forced to train more creatively so his studies were not interrupted and used to include a 70-mile detour on his way to school to ensure he clocked up the necessary mileage.

Coached by Stuart Blunt at British Cycling, he started riding BMX bikes at the age of three and began racing in the Velodrome at 14.

“It only really sunk in that I’m going to be riding at the Commonwealth Games when I arrived here,” he says.

Race day here tomorrow at Commonwealth Games. First up is TP live on BBC1 at 6:30am UK time.… https://t.co/4bAGbGBEWR

— Ethan Vernon (@EthanVernon22) April 4, 2018

“My main aim this year is to break the world record in the Individual Pursuit, and then go on to the World Championships at the end of August – this is all part of my journey to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.”

As well as going to school, he is also training six days a week, but the juggling act is going pretty well at the moment judging by his results. Last year he became National Junior Pursuit Champion over both 3km and 1km, breaking the British records en route.

He kicks-off his Commonwealth Games career in the Team Pursuit when he lines up with Rhys Britton, Sam Harrison and Joe Holt at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane.

Wales are one of seven teams in the competition, as are the women who start with Megan Barker, Ciara Horne, Manon Lloyd and Jess Roberts, leaving Olympic champions Eleanor Barker and Danni Rowe on the side.

Team Wales has the largest track cycling contingent from the home nations with 18 athletes set to compete for medals.

Olympian Ciara Horne is joined by her fiancé, Lewis Oliva, who won two medals in the Keirin at the 2017/18 UCI Track Cycling World Cup.

 

Commonwealth Games Track Cycling Schedule

 

Thursday, 5 April

Qualification session: 5.30am – 7.45am

Medal session: 10am – 12.10pm

Women’s B&VI sprint
Men’s B&VI 1km time trial
Women’s 4km team pursuit
Men’s 4km team pursuit
Women’s team sprint
Men’s team sprint

Friday, 6 April

Qualification session: 4am – 8.05am

Medal session: 10am – 12.25pm

Women’s 3km individual pursuit
Men’s 4km individual pursuit
Women’s sprint
Men’s keirin

Saturday, 7 April

Qualification session: 4.30am – 7.45am

Medal session: 9.30am – 1.05pm

Men’s B&VI sprint gold
Women’s B&VI 1km time trial
Women’s 25km points race
Women’s 500m time trial
Men’s sprint
Men’s 15km scratch race

Sunday, 8 April

Medal session: 8.30am – 1.10pm
Men’s 1km time trial
Women’s 10km scratch race
Women’s keirin
Men’s 40km points race