North Yorkshire cyclist Charlie Tanfield was in the Great Britain squad who claimed gold in the men’s team pursuit at the European Track Cycling Championships in the Netherlands.

The squad of Charlie Tanfield, from Great Ayton, Dan Bigham, Ethan Hayter, Ethan Vernon, and Ollie Wood, edged out world champions Denmark with a time of three minutes 45.218 seconds to win by a margin of 1.154secs.

It was a first team pursuit European title in nine years for Britain, with Italy taking bronze ahead of Germany.

European success will also boost hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympics, having seen them dented following a crash which prematurely ended Britain’s home world championships in Glasgow last August.

Vernon said: “It is one of the last races we will do against the guys here, so it is nice to take a good time and take some confidence going into Paris.

“A few of us are going off onto the road now with our teams, so we are not going to be back together for a few months.

“It was nice to have a high like that before we go off and do our own things for a bit, then come back for the last Nations Cup… I think it will get better going into Paris.”

The British women’s team pursuit squad of Josie Knight, Meg Barker, Anna Morris, Jess Roberts and Neah Evans took away a silver medal as the world champions were beaten by Italy.

Barker, who claimed a first European medal, said: “When you lose the gold ride off, it takes a second to realise you have still won silver, so we will look back and be really happy with it.”

Vernon will compete in the men’s scratch race today, while Bigham and Tanfield take on the individual pursuit, while Evans races the four-event women’s omnium.