Successful weekend for the Becker sisters

Charlotte and Christine Becker put in a successful weekend, with younger sister Charlotte winning a bronze medal in the Track World Championships in Manchester, while Christine finished second in two road races. The sisters ride for Equipe Nürnberger.

Charlotte, 24, won third place in the team pursuit in Manchester, with German team-mates Verena Jooss and Alexandra Sontheimer. She finished 16th in the points race. "Unfortunately, I didn't make the Olympic qualification with the points race," she commented. "But I am really very happy with the bronze medal, because it was my first medal in a big World Championships."

Christine, 31, finished second in both a race in Laarne, Belgium, on Saturday, and in Köln-Schuld-Frechen on Sunday. She was the only one from the Equipe in both races. "Those were two damn hard days," she said. "I was completely alone and had to go with every attack up to the finale. My form is getting better and better. These placings give me confidence for the next races."