From rivals to team-mates – Ball links up with Pope

James Ball is set to ride at his 10th Para-cycling Track World Championships as he looks to defend two titles with new pilot Aaron Pope. James Ball (left) won two silvers with Matt Rotherham for Wales while Aaron Pope (right) piloted Neil Fachie to two golds for Scotland Henry VIII famously had six wives during his time on the throne. While Para-cyclist James Ball has had a more harmonious time with his pilots than the former king had with his spouses, he too is on to his sixth partner, Aaron Pope. Ball will be hoping for a better relationship with this Pope than Henry VIII had with the papacy! Three months ago, Ball and Pope were rivals at the Commonwealth Games, where the latter piloted Neil Fachie to two golds in Glasgow.

Ball and Matt Rotherham, meanwhile, settled for silver in the men's tandem B 1,000m time trial and the men's sprint. Now they are team-mates rather than opponents, Pope will aim to help Ball retain the world titles he won with Steffan Lloyd in 2025. "It's not me, I promise," jokes Ball as he announces his latest new partnership. "I'm now with Aaron, so that's been a lot of learning and that's quite important because it's like a proper reset. "It's like when I had Steff Lloyd for Paris