Excitement is building ahead of Revolution Series Round 1 this Saturday night in Manchester and Paralympian cyclist Jody Cundy can't wait to do battle in the elite team competition.
A bronze medallist in the 4km pursuit at the Paralympics in London, Cundy will ride in one of 12 elite teams at the Manchester Velodrome as the 10th season of the Revolution Series begins and the national appetite for track cycling continues to grow.
He'll compete against team pursuit gold medallists Ed Clancy (Rapha Condor Sharp) and Steven Burke (IG-Sigma Sport), while British Time Trial champion Alex Dowsett will ride for Team Sky. Maxgear return to defend their title while Team Raleigh, IG-Sigma Sport and Endura-NetApp debut at the Revolution.
"Testing myself against Ed Clancy, Andy Tennant and Steven Burke will be exciting, especially when you know how fast they are in a team pursuit."
Jody Cundy
The 34-year-old Cundy was infamously disqualified from the C4-5 men's 1km time trial at the Paralympics back in August, but bounced back with Bronze in the C4 4km individual pursuit the following day, and he's raring to compete in the world's only elite track cycling league.
"The chance to race in able-bodied events really drives me as there is always someone better than me to race against," Cundy said. "That takes me out of my comfort zone and helps me raise my game. It's great to race people head-to-head and really get stuck in.
"Testing myself against Ed Clancy, Andy Tennant and Steven Burke will be exciting, especially when you know how fast they are in a team pursuit. Hopefully I'll be up to the challenge but it's formidable for anyone. Especially for a sprinter like me in an endurance racers' world!
"The interest in cycling at the moment is sky-high, especially in Great Britain as we've dominated on the road and track," Cundy added.
"The Revolution Series is also a brilliant way for fans to experience cycle racing live for the first time. There are sell-out crowds, frantic racing, the chance to see some of the best riders in the world along with a lot of promising young riders, all potential stars of the future. It's the perfect blend of action to ignite anybody's interest."
Revolution Rounds 1-3 are sold out but tickets are still available for the fourth and final round at the new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow on 2 February 2013 - buy tickets here.
Watch Revolution Series Season 10 highlights on ITV4 at 8pm on Wednesday 31 October and link to the official website.
