'I watched Cav become champion, so this a dream come true'

‘Growing up, I watched Mark Cavendish become world and Commonwealth champion on the track, so it is genuinely a dream come true to have achieved that myself.’

That’s the verdict of Isle of Man cyclist Matthew Bostock after he was crowned world scratch champion in China recently.

The 29-year-old from Glen Vine produced a brilliant ride at the UCI World Track Championships in the Far East to clinch a gold medal and earn the right to wear the famous rainbow jersey for the next 12 months.

Up against a stacked field, the Manxman was to the fore throughout, illuminating the 30km race at the Shanghai Velodrome by launching multiple attacks and attempting several breakaways.

In the closing stages of the race, a tiring Bocky launched another blistering attack and lapped several riders in the peloton, before staying clear of the chasing pair of New Zealand’s Tom Sexton and Lindsay De Vylder of Belgium to clinch a memorable victory.

Former Commonwealth champion Sexton picked up the silver medal, with De Vylder - the 2025 men's omnium world champion - completing the podium in third place.

Speaking to the Isle of Man Examiner afterwards, a delighted Bocky said: ‘It is really unbelievable and I don’t think it’s sunk in yet.

‘I only found out I’d be riding the scratch race the night before as it clashed with the team pursuit [which he helped Great Britain win bronze in] so to be honest I didn’t have time to think too much about it before either.

‘I expected it to be a hard race and I’d watched to be aggressive and try to get a lap, but I’d expected it to be in a group and earlier on.

‘The way it played out, once I’d been given a small gap I knew that it was my only chance and didn’t look back.

‘It was a long time and probably the most I’ve ever suffered on the track.’

The UCI track world title is the icing on the cake of what has been a superb year for the Isle of Man cyclist, who also won a gold medal at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

He was also crowned British national scratch champion and won medals at other events such as the Track World Cup, European Team Pursuit Championship and the National Crit Championships.

‘It’s been just a perfect year really, I think all the work I put in last year has really paid off and it’s nice to reap the rewards.

‘Next year is much same but becomes more important looking towards the LA Olympics in 2028, so hopefully it’ll be more of the same.’

Not only was it a successful trip to China for Bocky, but his fiancee Megan Barker was also crowned world champion after helping Great Britain successfully defend their women’s team pursuit title for a second time.

Paying tribute to Barker, Bostock added: ‘It was a day we both won’t forget. It was her third team pursuit title so maybe not as special as my first, but to do it on the same day was just crazy.’