GB Team For Track Worlds

GB Cycling Team for World Championships Announced

Story posted March 12, 2008

UCI World Track Championships: 26th-30th

Source: British Cycling Press Release

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Last year in Majorca saw British riders winning no less than seven Gold medals including three for Victoria Pendleton and two each for Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy. Manchester 2008 in Olympic Year promises to be yet another great year for the British team.

British Cycling have announced a 23-rider Great Britain team, including reserves, for the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, which are to be held in Manchester from the 26th – 30th March. This will be the third time in twelve years that the Championships have been held at the recently re-laid Manchester Velodrome (previously 1996 and 2000).

In 2007 the team won an unprecedented seven gold medals at the World Championships, with Victoria Pendleton taking three (Sprint, Keirin & Team Sprint) and Chris Hoy (Keirin & Kilo) and Bradley Wiggins (Team Pursuit & Individual Pursuit) two apiece. These three riders are at the heart of a team which features a number of riders under the age of 20.

Dave Brailsford, Performance Director of the GB Cycling Team said: “This team is an exciting mix of experienced World Champions and talented young riders who are breaking through. It will be a special championships for everyone in the team: not only is it the last major event before the Beijing Olympics; it is also taking place on our home track in Manchester, where we will be able to count great crowd support.”

Events Group Press Release
The following Press Release is from the Events Group, the organisers of the UCI World Track Championships in Manchester.

Great Britain has announced its team for the forthcoming world track cycling championships in Manchester 26-30th March. The team will be on home soil and out to defend the seven world crowns they won in Palma last year. Victoria Pendleton (Stotfold) is named in the women’s sprint squad that will compete for four gold medals in the five day event. Pendleton defends the hat -trick of gold medals she won last year in Mallorca in the Keirin, sprint and team sprint events. Shanaze Reade (Crewe) is expected to partner Pendleton in the women’s team sprint.

The men’s sprint squad has finally been announced after much speculation surrounded the selection for the team sprint event. Chris Hoy (Edinburgh), Jamie Staff (Ashford, Kent), Matt Crampton (Manchester), Jason Kenny (Bolton) and Ross Edgar (Newmarket) have all been named in the sprint squad. The GB team has still not announced the names of the trio racing in the important Olympic event. Craig MacLean and Jason Queally are the two key names left out of the squad but both are still expected to be in contention for places for the Olympic team later in the year.

Wendy Houvenaghel (Cornwall), Rebecca Romero (Buckinghamshire), Jo Rowsell (Sutton) and Lizzie Armistead (Otley) will be in contention for places in the three rider women’s team pursuit race which debuts as a World Championship event in Manchester on Friday. A new world record is expected to be set in this event.

Steven Burke (Burnley) receives his first Senior World Championships call up and could be included for the men’s team pursuit. The talented youngster debuted for the GB senior team in Copenhagen last month. Burke’s team recorded the fastest time of the year when they won the final of the World Cup competition. The British team could go even faster if Bradley Wiggins (Maida Vale) can continue to adapt his road legs over to the track as he has successfully done many times before.

Team High Road professional Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man) returns home and could have his name down to ride in the men’s Madison. Rob Hayles (Portsmouth), Gerraint Thomas (Cardiff) or Ed Clancy (Huddersfield) are capable of partnering Cavendish in the high speed race.

The two surprise names on the list are young sprinters David Daniell (Middlesbrough) and Jessica Varnish (Bromsgrove). Daniell has won five gold medals in the last two years in the Junior World and European track championships. Varnish is part of British Cycling’s Olympic development programme and was second in the women’s sprint in last year’s

Great Britain Cycling Team Riders

Endurance

Lizzie Armitstead
Steve Burke
Mark Cavendish
Ed Clancy
Kate Cullen
Steve Cummings
Rob Hayles
Wendy Houvenaghel
Bradley Wiggins
Geraint Thomas
Rebecca Romero
Jo Rowsell
Paul Manning

Sprint