Trott ready to renew Hammer rivalry in Paris

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Laura Trott is ready to renew her omnium rivalry with American Sarah Hammer at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

Double Olympic champion Trott, 22, defeated Hammer to win omnium gold at London 2012 but the 31-year-old has since won the 2013 and 2014 world titles with Trott taking silver on each occasion.

The pair will face off in Paris when the new format of the event makes its first appearance at the pinnacle of the track calendar.

“I am pretty confident about the omnium,” said Great Britain Cycling Team’s Trott.

“I have loads of respect for Sarah, obviously she is an incredible rider and she comes back, she keeps coming back.

“She didn’t win at London and bounced straight back in Minsk. She is incredible and obviously really driven by her weaknesses I guess.

“She has really worked on her 500m time trial and then she came back in Minsk and blew me away I guess.”

Trott has taken to the reformed omnium successfully as she defended her European title last October before winning the event at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in London in December.

But she has yet to face Hammer since the changes were introduced, including competitors now attempting to gain the most points and a reshuffle of the six disciplines, with the points race the last event.

“Obviously it’s different but over the world cups it has given me a lot of confidence in the new format,” Trott said.

“When it came out I wasn’t sure I was going to like it or not, because I always sort of relied on the 500 at the end. But now you don’t actually have to rely on any one race because with the points race at the end you can make the points up.”

Trott says she is not convinced the changes will give either rider an advantage.

“I don’t think about it too much,” Trott said.

“I guess she has always been strong in the points race but you’ve got to get to the points race first with a buffer.

“She’s always strong in the individual pursuit but I’m quite strong in the sprint events and the elimination race so we could be quite equal going into the points race.

“Then I guess it is just down to who can follow the other one better.”

Trott will also compete in the team pursuit, which Great Britain's women have won at the last four championships, from 18-22 February at France’s National Velodrome Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

Unlike the UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Trott will have a day of rest between the team and individual events, an important chance to recover.

“It’s massive to have that one day off, some of the girls don’t actually ride the team pursuit they just fully focus on the omnium so for me to have a day off in the middle is really good.

“And having the team pursuit spread over two days helps quote a lot as well, it doesn’t mean it is three massive hits in one day.”

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