Early life

Elinor Jane Barker from Heath, Cardiff, is the daughter of Graham Barker, deputy headteacher at St Julian's Comprehensive School in Newport.^[8] She has two older siblings, Joe and Harri and a sister, Megan, three years her junior and also a successful racing cyclist.^[9] She attended Llanishen High School.^[8]

Junior career

Barker took up cycling with the Maindy Flyers at the age of 10, as a way of getting out of swimming classes.^[8][10] She was recruited into British Cycling's Olympic Development Academy,^[9] 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.^[11]

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.^[12]

Professional career

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.^[13][14]

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.^[15]

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.^[16] 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.^[17]

Returning to the track after the Olympics, Barker claimed the silver medal at the European Championships.^[18] Barker followed this by winning the points race at the world cup in Apeldoorn.^[19] Barker then claimed the title at the Six Days of Amsterdam.^[20] Barker closed 2016 with success in the national Madison championships alongside Laura Kenny.^[21] Starting 2017 Barker finished second in the ominium event and third in the scratch race at the national championships.^[22] 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.^[23] At the Six days series final, despite not winning a race in Mallorca, Barker won the title.^[24] At the World Championships, Barker claimed two silver medals, one in the scratch race and the other in the Madison alongside Emily Nelson.^[25][26] Barker went on to win her first individual world title in the points race.^[27]

For the 2018 season Barker decided to join Wiggle High5,^[28] 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.^[29] 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.^[30] 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.^[31]

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.^[32] 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.^[33]

In 2021, Barker was part of the British team that won silver in the women's team pursuit at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics.^[34] During the Games she signed a two-year deal to join the Uno-X team from 2022.^[35][36] In April 2023, Barker extended her contract with Uno-X until 2027.^[37]

Track

Road