BARNSLEY’S excellent sporting summer continued this week as one athlete from the town celebrated a world title on four wheels and another competed in the one of the world’s most famous races on two wheels.
Motorsport star Oliver Rowland lifted the Formula E trophy in London on Sunday as his title-winning season came to an end, while Imogen Wolff was the youngest rider in the Tour de France Femmes.
Wolff, 19, from Silkstone Common, was riding for Visma Lease-A-Bike in her first Tour de France having only become a professional cyclist this year after success as a junior.
She has been supporting team-mate Marianne Vos who is competing to win the race, while Imogen was 61st out of 146 at the end of Wednesday’s stage.
The week-long race, which sees riders cycle for more than 700 miles, is due to finish on Saturday.
Speaking about being selected, Wolff said: “I knew maybe it was a possibility, and I just really wanted to prove that I deserved a spot on the team.
“My coach was like: ‘how’s your French?
“It was a really nice moment. I rang my parents straight away and told them.
“My dad and I used to do bikepacking trips, head to France, bikepack to the men’s stages and try and get as many freebies from the caravan as possible.
“It was always a really special feeling.
“Growing up, it was always a dream to ride here, and for so long, it wasn’t possible. Then the women’s race came in, and I still didn’t think it was possible.
“It is a pinch-me moment.”
Meanwhile, Penistone man Rowland had secured the title two weeks earlier in Berlin.
He finished 11th in the first race in London then did not complete the second after a crash while in the podium positions.
But he still finished 31 points clear in first over the 16-race series.
Rowland said: “Unfortunately, we had some contact while battling at the top, which ended my race early.
“It’s been a difficult weekend but, overall, season 11 has been a remarkable one.
“It’s a dream come true to be world champion and to collect the trophy.
“This will give us great motivation in the off-season to continue to improve and come back even better next season.”
The 2025/26 Formula E season is due to start on December 6 in São Paulo.
