Georgia Taylor-Brown admitted she had begun to doubt whether she would ever win another WTCS race before ending a wait of more than three years in Karlovy Vary at the weekend.
The British star claimed her first Series victory since Cagliari in May 2023, breaking clear on the bike with Taylor Spivey and Therese Feuersinger before running to a 36-second win over the American.
On a day when soaked roads and technical cobbled sections contributed to multiple crashes, the trio’s cooperation proved decisive. But for Taylor-Brown, who handled the conditions brilliantly, returning to the top step also carried a considerable emotional weight.
‘I kind of settled for being in the top six’
Asked how it felt to be back on top of a WTCS podium, Taylor-Brown revealed just how much her expectations had changed.
“I’m quite emotional about it. I didn’t think I was going to ever get there again, to be honest. I kind of settled for just playing with the girls at the front and being in the top six.
“So yeah, I’m just really happy that I could make the race today and that there was a group of three of us that really pushed at the front and worked well together.
“It was just an honest race, and that’s what I enjoy.”
Taylor-Brown’s earlier WTCS results this season have seen her collect a fourth, two sixth places and a seventh while she also won T100 Spain on a hilly run course.
A decisive break without an attack
The leading trio in Karlovy reached the end of the bike with a 2:31 advantage over their nearest chasers, giving them a commanding platform for the run.
Yet Taylor-Brown explained that the move had developed naturally as she set the pace on one of the many climbs.
“I don’t really know. We were kind of a big-ish group, and then I came into the first hill on the first lap and just went to the front to keep a good tempo, and I didn’t attack.
“It was just like a nice tempo, solid, and then it just broke suddenly. Therese was really good at pushing the technical bits, so I just followed, and yeah, it just worked really well.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did, and I’m happy it did!”
Making the hills count
Spivey was first out of the second transition, but Taylor-Brown quickly moved ahead and began building the advantage that would carry her to victory.
Her lead grew from five seconds after the opening 2.5km lap to 17 seconds at halfway and 30 seconds heading onto the final circuit.
“Obviously Taylor’s a super-fast runner, so I wanted to try and make a break early and make myself hurt at the start, get a gap and then just hold on and just use this course to my strengths.
“I prefer the hills, so I just really pushed hard on the hills and then let the speed carry me down the hill.
“So yeah, I just kept to the rhythm the whole time.”
