No pressure on GB says Bewley

Images courtesy of Taylor Lanning Photography

The young Cumbrian makes up a third of the youngest team in the star-studded field in Lublin, Poland for the two-day event starting on Friday night.

With three-time World Champion Tai Woffinden out with a serious hand injury, it is left to European Champion Robert Lambert, fourth-placed World Under-21 star Bewley and British Under-19 Champion Drew Kemp to carry the GB flag.

Bewley, 21, reckons that could be an advantage. He said: “I wouldn’t say there’s any pressure on us. You’d obviously have to say that Russia are the favourites again. They’ve got two of the strongest riders.

“But Rob’s been killing it all year in the Polish league and I’ve finished the season with a couple of good meetings for Wroclaw. I beat some good riders as well.

“I feel if I ride as good as I did in those last two meetings, I feel like we could be in a really good spot.

“I’m in the best frame of mind I’ve been in all year and in a long time. I’m also riding the best I have.”

Great Britain picked up Silver in Poland just two seasons ago but have been dogged with injuries over the past two years.

But Bewley is adamant that they can still push for medals. He added: “It’s not just tough for us, it’s tough for everyone. It’s a meeting that everyone will be trying that bit extra for. I think it will be a good one.

“I don’t think it’s daunting for Tai to not be in the team. I’ve never been in the team before on this kind of level, only in the league with Wroclaw.

“Each race is going to have a good line-up in it. We are all out to do the same job. I’m looking forward to it.

“It’s difficult to say whether it’s the biggest meeting of my career. You could argue that it is.”